The World's Darkest Hero
by TheSmilingMask
Summary: [Ghost Rider crossover] When he discovers that his mother is in danger of dying from an illness, Izuku does not know what to do, but a mysterious man seems to have a solution to that problem, as well as having a way to get him a Quirk. Faced with the possibility of saving his family and becoming a hero, Izuku will sign a contract that will change his life forever. [OP Izuku]
1. The Contract

**PROLOGUE: THE CONTRACT**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

"It's best you give up."

The room sank into a heavy silence for several seconds while a child of just four years watched the doctor in front of him with a mask of shock carved into the rock. At his side, his mother looked at him with concern before speaking to the doctor.

"Doctor...! You mean there's something wrong? Every other child at his kindergarten has manifested, but Izuku still hasn't..."

The doctor sighed before explaining the reason why Izuku had not yet shown any Quirk, talking about how those who possessed no Quirk had two joints in the pinky toe, while those who possessed a Quirk had an extra joint. However, in spite of his shocked expression and his eyes glued to the doctor, Izuku was not listening to anything that was being said, the man's words still echoing in his mind.

' _I don't have a Quirk? I can't be a hero?_ ' a thunderous laugh echoed in his mind with the image of an imposing man with blond hair and a wide smile ' _I can't be like All Might...?_ '

His small hands balled into fists, without even realizing he had dropped his action figure of All Might. He was so taken by his thoughts that he did not hear his mother's question until she put a hand on his shoulder, surprising him slightly "Uh? W-what...?"

"Honey, are you okay?" asked his mother with a concerned look.

"Probably he is still shocked by the news, ma'am. You just have to give him some time, but now I need to talk to you privately about _your_ condition." said the doctor with a knowing look.

Inko sighed with a sad look, then forced a smile on her lips "Honey, can you wait for mommy in the waiting room, please? I have to speak for a moment with the doctor and then we will go and buy the ingredients to make a good katsudon for dinner, okay?"

Nodding absently, Izuku put his shoes back on and walked out of the room in silence, his eyes still wide open in shock but with his mouth closed in a thin line. With heavy steps, he went and sat on a chair in the small waiting room, barely noticing that he was the only one in that room.

Or so he thought.

"What's bothering you, young one?" asked a calm male voice to his right, startling him.

Looking at the owner of the voice with frightened eyes, the little kid calmed himself at seeing that it was only a man wearing a black cloak and dark gloves and carrying a silver cane with a glass skull on its tip. The man was probably in his late forties and his blonde hair was elegantly combed. Shifting his attention to the calm blue eyes of the man, Izuku immediately looked away, slightly frightened by those eyes.

"The-the doctor told me I do not have a Quirk..." said Izuku looking at the floor with tears forming at the edge of his eyes "I can't be a hero..."

"Mh, I see. Indeed, in the world in which we live, not having a Quirk can be incredibly disadvantageous." the man nodded before tapping the floor with his cane "You look like a smart child, so let me ask you something. Do you think there is only one way to get a Quirk?"

Izuku looked at him with confused eyes, his young mind trying to understand those words. He was only a child, without Quirk and definitely weaker than all his peers, but his mind was already sharp enough to notice the subliminal message hidden in that question. The man was not old but not young either, so he had to have some experience with Quirks, so the answer to his question was only one...

"There are...more?"

The man smiled at Izuku "Yes, there are more ways to get a Quirk. The most common way is to get it from your parents, at the age of four, or develop a completely new type of Quirk, always around that age. However, what many scientists and doctors ignore is that there are other means to obtain a Quirk. In fact, there are Quirks that can be passed down from owner to a new owner as if they were a simple object, but there are also special Quirks that can give Quirk to other people. The list goes on."

Izuku looked at him in awe, his previous shock now forgotten "Do you mean that I can get a Quirk too?!"

The blonde man chuckled a bit "Of course you can, you just need to find a way to obtain such power for yourself. I am sure that, in due course, you will gain an incredibly powerful Quirk."

Izuku's face lit up like a Christmas tree and, jumping up, he bowed to the man, thanking him for his words as his mother had taught him. His mother had also taught him not to talk to strangers but Izuku had easily forgotten that warning.

"Honey? Why are you bowing?" came the voice of his mother as she walked to him with a confused face.

"Uh? I was thanking this...mister?" said Izuku but his face changed from happy to confused as soon as he took notice of the fact that the man was gone. But his confusion was short-lived because the kid turned to his mother and showed her a huge smile "Mommy! I can be a hero too! I can get a Quirk!"

Inko smiled sadly at her son, thinking that his words were a simple way to face his newly discovered status of Quirkless. Shaking her head, she took his hand walking toward the exit while talking to him with sweet words so as not to ruin his mood "I'm sure you will succeed, honey. Now let's move, we have to prepare dinner!"

"Yes! Katsudon for dinner!" shouted Izuku with a huge smile.

Neither he nor his mother noticed the blonde man sitting in the waiting room with a cold smile on his lips.

His facial features slowly turning into those of a demon.

* * *

[ **Midoriya's House** / _Three days later_ ]

"He's smiling. He always smiles!" mumbled Izuku looking a video of All Might where is favorite hero was saving the victims of an accident. Nodding to himself, the little kid looked at a notebook next to the screen, currently open on the first page where there were few simple words: -FIND A POWERFUL QUIRK!-

' _I just have to find a way to get it and then I can become like All Might!_ ' thought the kid before leaving the room to get a glass of water. Going down the stairs leading to the entrance, he noticed that the clock hanging on the wall marked midnight on the dot.

' _Is it already so late? I had not noticed it._ ' thought Izuku looking at the clock ' _Why_ _mom_ _did not come to call me? Usually she gets angry if I stay up late..._ '

When he was at the base of the stairs, he saw that the television in the living room was still on and, upon peering into the room, he noticed his mother sleeping on the couch. The woman seemed calm but her face was not at all and it seemed to worry Izuku, who had always seen her smiling. At least before the discovery of his lack of Quirk.

Walking towards the television to turn it off, so as not to wake his mother, the kid saw a letter on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. Curiosity immediately got the better of him and Izuku took it in his hands, but found himself faced with a series of words of which he ignored the meaning. He was still a four-year-old boy, after all.

' _Ah, this is the name of the doctor._ ' thought Izuku understanding a word every once in a while ' _I don't understand...what is this..._ _Quirk_ _cancer?_ _If it's in a letter with the doctor's name maybe it's something important..._ '

Deciding to understand what that letter was about, Izuku left the living room in silence and went back to the study with the computer still on, quickly typing the words that seemed important, such as 'Quirk Cancer', and what he found froze the blood in his veins.

' _Discovered five years after the first Quirk...this cancer manifests itself in Quirk holders without distinction. There are no signs that can make the patient aware of its presence except when it is too late._ ' Izuku gulped loudly, his hand trembling on the mouse ' _To date, there are more than one million victims and there has not yet been a cure for this type of cancer. Not even the Quirks of the most famous doctors in the world seem able to counter this disease and dozens of scientists are still working on a cure..._ '

As gifted with a life of its own, his finger slowly scrolled down the page and the last words of the paragraph stopped his heart.

' _Rate of lethality...one hundred...percent..._ '

* * *

[ **P** **layground near Midoriya's House** / _A couple of days later_ ]

"Hey did you hear? Apparently Deku has no Quirk!" said a kid snickering while he and other kids were playing among them. The others looked at Izuku, sitting not far from them by himself, before starting to snicker like their playmate.

"Was not he who said that he wanted to become like All Might?" asked a second kid with bat wings.

"Yeah, now he can't even become a hero! Oh well, he's always been weak, isn't it, Kacchan?" asked a third with long purple hair, looking at their blonde playmate who just joined them after having been praised for his Quirk by some parents.

Said kid looked at Izuku with an unreadable face before shrugging "Who cares? If he's weak then it doesn't matter to me. Let's go play Heroes and Villains!" and the other kids shouted in approval before following the blonde kid, leaving Izuku completely alone.

However, what they could not know, was that Izuku was staring at the ground with a dull look not because of his Quirkless, but because of what he had discovered about his mother, namely that she was sick with an incurable disease. After discovering the existence of that disease, Izuku had put the letter back in place in order to not worry his mother but, as soon as she woke up, he had noticed how Inko was less alive than usual. For a child like him, it had been a far worse shot than finding out that he did not have any Quirk. In addition, the thought of being without a mother for the rest of his life had made its way into his mind, leading him to not sleep for several hours, in the grip of an unsustainable anxiety.

"I see that even today you are morally on the ground, young Izuku." said a male voice to his right, making him nearly jump out of his skin.

"Y-you?!" Izuku asked with wide open eyes, seeing the same blonde man sitting on the bench, right next to him "W-why are you here? Wait...how do you know my name? I never told you..."

The man showed a little smile "I like walking during the day when I have no commitments. As I passed through here I noticed you sitting there alone, but you were so taken by your thoughts that you did not hear me coming. As for the name, I went to the same doctor as you the other day and he was still filling in documents about you, and I got to read your name."

"O-oh, I see...sorry about that." mumbled Izuku looking back at the ground.

"Judging by your face, I can imagine that something terrible happened." said the man looking at Izuku "Does it concern the fact of not having a Quirk?"

Izuku shook his head slowly "I'm looking for a way to get a Quirk but...my mom..." he sniffed a couple of times "She's sick...and her illness can not be cured!"

The man nodded solemnly, looking back in front of him "Quirk cancer, right?"

Izuku looked at him in surprise "How-?!"

"In this world there is only one disease that can not be cured using the countless existing Quirks, and that is the Quirk cancer. It's really a terrible disease..." explained the blond man tapping the ground with his cane "The thing about cancer is the time it takes...the toll on loved ones. Lives that are altered. Plans that have to be changed." he looked down at Izuku, who was staring at him carefully "Izuku, what if I could help your mother?"

Izuku's eyes almost fell out of their sockets "Y-you can? But...but on the internet it is said that nobody knows a cure!"

"That's true, but it is also said that no doctor or scientist has succeeded in finding it. There is no mention of anyone outside those two branches of research." said the man with a small smile "The truth is that there are some Quirks in this world that could be of great help to humanity, but the people who possess them do not come forward for fear of being targeted by unwanted people and, fortunately for you, I am one of those people."

"Really?! Your Quirk can help my mom?!" shouted Izuku with eyes filled with tears.

"Of course I can, in fact I can also give you a Quirk." nodded the blonde man with a strange smile bringing out a scroll "However, in order for my Quirk to work properly, you have to pay a price."

Izuku gulped loudly looking at the scroll. He could feel his heart beating wildly at the idea of having a Quirk and being able to save his mother, but everything had a price.

"What...what's the price?"

"Oh. I'll take..." the man looked around for a moment before focusing again on Izuku "...your soul."

The deafening noise of his heart stopped abruptly "M-my s-soul...are...are you going to e-eat it?"

"Oh Hell no." chuckled the man with a smile "To put it simply...by sunrise tomorrow, your mother will be healthy as a horse. And you will have your whole life ahead of you with a new powerful Quirk. In exchange for this, I will come back to you in the future to collect the favor. You will not have to do anything complicated, I guarantee you. You'll just have to help me with something when the time comes. It's your choice, Izuku." he unrolled the scroll, handing it to Izuku "All you have to do is sign."

With hesitation, Izuku took the scroll in his hands to read its contents but suddenly something opened a cut on his finger, making him wince due to the pain. Without realizing it, he dropped the scroll while a few drops of blood dripped onto it. Alarmed by the incident, Izuku quickly picked it up, apologizing infinitely with the man.

"Oh, it doesn't matter matter, young Izuku." said the man with a little smile, looking at the blood dripped on the signature line "This will do just fine."

Izuku tilted the head, showing confusion on his face "But...I did not sign it."

"Your blood did it for you and, when you grow up, you will learn that a contract signed with blood is worth a thousand times a contract signed with ink." said the man putting away the scroll "Now, go home and help your mother, because this is the last day where you'll see her in such a bad shape. From tomorrow she will be even healthier than before."

Hearing that news so hoped for, Izuku seemed to forget about the contract and started running towards his house with a big smile on his lips, only to stop suddenly, turning on his heels.

"Hey mister, what is your...name?" the child stood still, confused to see the empty bench and no sign of the man.

'Maybe it was a dream...?' he thought but, as he saw the cut on his finger, he shook his head 'No, that wasn't a dream! Now my mom will recover!' and with that, he ran towards the house, unaware of two red eyes intent on staring at him from afar, adorned by a sinister grin.

* * *

[ **Midoriya's House** / _The next morning_ ]

Slowly opening his eyes, Izuku let himself go to a long yawn as the sunlight filtered through the shutters of his window. However, after a few seconds, he frowned in confusion as he heard music echoing throughout the house. Coming out of bed, he slipped on the All Might-themed slippers and left the room, heading for the kitchen, the room where the music came from.

Entering the room, Izuku gasped as he watched his mother humming the song as she cooked the breakfast with one of the biggest smiles of all time.

"M-mom...?"

Upon hearing his voice, Inko turned to her son and, in record time, caught him in a big hug, whirling around in joy.

"Good morning, honey!" said Inko smiling at her son "I have some wonderful news to tell you!"

Seeing his confused look, she giggled before placing him on a chair "Honey, as you probably noticed, I was not very well these days." she placed a hand over her heart "There was a bad thing inside me that was hurting me...but now that bad thing is gone!"

Izuku widened his eyes, his mouth wide open "R-really...?"

"Yes! I took the morning test prescribed by the doctor to monitor that bad thing and I discovered that it completely disappeared!" explained Inko hugging him "Now you don't have to worry about me! I'm completely fine!"

"I-it worked...it really worked...!" mumbled Izuku looking at his mother without thinking about his words as Inko tilted her head with a confused look.

"What worked, honey?"

"Uh? N-nothing mom! Nothing!" said Izuku shaking his arms to prove his points "I was just talking to myself!"

Inko raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask questions so as not to ruin the atmosphere. Kissing him on the forehead, she walked towards the stove "Get ready because after breakfast we'll go shopping!"

"Okay mom!" Izuku nodded with a smile without a care, his mother was healed and that was all that mattered!

As said by Inko, after breakfast they went to the city center to buy some things and the happiness of Izuku grew even more when he received the official diary of All Might, where they wrote some of his most famous phrases as well as a lot of information on his heroic deeds. But all this faded compared to the idea of having received a powerful Quirk from that blonde man, according to their agreement.

' _Now I just have to find out what my Quirk is so I can start practicing to become the best hero ever!_ ' thought Izuku with a huge smile while shaking with excitement.

"Wait here for a moment, honey." said Inko tapping him on the shoulder "I'm going to get the car and then we go home, okay?"

Izuku nodded before sitting on a bench with the shopping bags, looking at his mother as she waled down the market street on the sidewalk.

Her back was the last thing he saw of his mother before a violent explosion erupted from a store swallowing her in a fraction of a second, and destroying everything within a thirty-foot radius. The following shock wave threw him and all the civilians on the ground, causing him to slam his head against the concrete of the sidewalk.

As the screams of the people echoed in the air, Izuku tried to get up, shaking on his legs with the clouded vision as a trickle of blood dripped from his forehead. Looking around he saw only blurred figures running in all directions, mostly trying to get away from a strong light source not far from him. When he turned to that light, his vision became clearer, allowing him to see the flames that were slowly devouring the street and the buildings, but above all he saw what was left of at least fifty people, now reduced to charred skeletons.

His mother's back as she walked away from him came back vividly in his mind as tears began to run down his cheeks. Without realizing it, Izuku took a step forward but someone grabbed him by the shirt, lifting his little body off the ground. In an instant, he found himself face to face with a boy in his late teens with white hair.

"Where do you think you're going, kid?!" shouted the boy "We need to evacuate the area. Are you alone?!"

Normally, Izuku would have been delighted to have just met Death Arms, one of the pro-heroes of the new generation, but his mind was unable to process anything that was happening around him, so he turned back to look at the flames, stretching his arms forward "M-mom...!"

Death Arms widened his eyes, looking at the flames while hearing the broken voice of the green haired child he had just stopped, intent on calling his mother.

' _Shit..._ ' without wasting time, he picked up Izuku and began to run with the rest of the crowd, heading for the police sirens that were getting closer and closer, while the little kid weakly tried to free himself from the grip of the hero.

"M-mom! My mom! W-where is she?!" screamed Izuku trying to reach those flames without thinking, as the image of Inko in his mind was slowly burning down.

"Mom! Mom!" Izuku closed his eyes, missing the little flames dancing around his fingers but when he screamed again, his voice was different, more hoarse and powerful, sending a shiver down Death Arms' back.

" **MOM!** "

* * *

[ **Jutendo Hospital – Tokyo** / _The next morning_ ]

"So you are the one who will take care of him?"

"Yes, I arrived as soon as possible. I'm not a relative of blood but I've filled out all the forms."

"You will have to sign others once he has come to live with you. Then there is also the fact of Inko Midoriya's will."

"Those problems can wait, I want to first make sure Izuku's okay."

"Fine, just try not to do stupid things. Your criminal record is not clean and you know it well."

"I know I know! Geez, you're even worse than those cops in America."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now wait, he's waking up."

Izuku opened his eyes slowly, finding himself facing a completely white ceiling.

"W-where...?"

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention. Looking at his left, he saw a young man with black hair dressed like a policeman "Don't worry, you're fine. We are in a hospital. Do you feel any pain right now?"

Izuku stood still for a few seconds but then he whispered "My head..."

"You took a bad blow to the head. Nothing serious but the doctors say that you will have a bit of a headache for a day or two, at least if you will not be healed by some Quirk." explained the policeman with a little smile "My name is Naomasa Tsukauchi and I'm the one who brought you here urgently yesterday after Death Arms handed you over to the police. I know I ask you a lot, especially now that you've woken up, but do you remember something before you fainted?"

Izuku looked at him with confusion written on his face, but then the memories of the day before bombarded his mind, forcing him to hold his head in pain.

"A-an explosion...and my...my mom...!" he looked up at the policeman "My mom! Where is my mom?!"

Naomasa looked at him with sad eyes, not knowing how to give him the tragic news. He was just a kid after all.

"Izuku, I'm sorry to say this but...your mom is dead. she was killed in yesterday's attack by some villains. The heroes defeated and arrested them but there was nothing to do for the people too close to the origin of the explosion..."

Predictably, Izuku seemed to die at that moment, crying uncontrollably and calling his mother's name in vain. Naomasa did not know how to console him without turning out to be a cold and heartless person but it was at that moment that the third person in that room decided to speak.

"You really know how to talk to a child. Come on, stand aside." said a young male voice as the newcomer sat down next to the bed, hugging Izuku, who continued to cry uncontrollably for several minutes while the new person whispered something in his ear.

"Come on, kid. This is not the time to cry, you know? You must be strong like a hero...no, not like a hero, but like the best hero! Like All Might? He's your idol, right?"

Still crying, Izuku managed to nod once, shaking in the man's arms. Said man smiled a bit, before asking "Then you will know what distinguishes him from the other heroes, is not it?"

Izuku nodded again "He...he...h-he a-always...s-s-smiles...!"

"Yes, he always smiles, because he knows he must always be strong and those who can smile in the hardest moments are the strongest of all." said the man patting him on the back "Now, I can't ask you to smile, not after what happened, but I need you to be strong. Can you do this for me?"

Izuku sobbed again for a few minutes before he could calm down enough to stop crying. Slowly, the man let him go and Izuku could look him in the face, noticing his reddish blond hair and his blue eyes, but above all the black biker jacket.

"Glad to see that you're a strong kid, Izuku." said the man smiling at him "My name is Johnathon Blaze, but you can call me Johnny. I was a friend of your mother and from today on I'll be your caretaker."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN** **CHAPTER 1: MEETING THE NUMBER ONE**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the prologue!**

 **So, what do you think of this idea? I want to start right away from the fact that this story was not born by itself, but I was inspired (so to speak) by Zedref12's "The Spider of Peace", a story that I recommend you go to read! There are obviously many differences between mine and his history, first of all the Marvel hero used for the story (Ghost Rider for me and Spider-man for him), and as a second important thing, while in Zedref12's story, Izuku replaces Peter Parker, in my Johnny Blaze will be a character present in the plot, albeit not like in the comic book.**

 **Speaking of Johnny Blaze, I'm using the version of the Earth-616, but the plot for this prologue and part of the story is that of "Ghost Rider" the 2007 movie. Some of the events in the movie will also reoccur in this story but the story will not end with the final of the film, in fact it will go on both in the Marvel universe and in the My Hero Academia universe, following the manga for the most part.**

 **I hope you will follow this story and feel free to propose ideas or some of the things you would like to see here, such as the relationship for Izuku, his alignment (Ghost Rider isn't exactly a hero), and so on...**

 **See you around and have a good day/night!**


	2. Meeting The Number One

**CHAPTER 1: MEETING THE NUMBER ONE**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: for the purposes of the story, Izuku will be one year older than the canon. This chapter will explain why he will still be in the same generation as Bakugo and the others.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

"Ohi~! Izuku! Wake up! Time to go to school!"

After a low groan, two tired green eyes opened in the now lost quiet of the room, looking at the ceiling for several seconds. Although reluctantly, Izuku pushed back the blanket and put his feet on the floor, trying to wake up with light pats on the cheeks while also showing his naked torso and well-defined muscles gained in recent years.

At the age of fifteen, almost sixteen, Izuku was a boy definitely tall for his age, reaching almost a meter and seventy-five, with a physique that many girls would have surely defined as ripped. Walking towards the window, he stopped just to raise the shutters, groaning again as soon as the sun blinded him momentarily but, once he took a shirt resting on the back of the chair in his room, he walked towards the kitchen.

Walking down the stairs, he took a quick look at the pictures hanging on the wall, all of them showing Izuku during his growth and the man who had been taking care of him for almost twelve years, Johnny Blaze. The older man had become a set of figures for Izuku, assuming the role of guardian but also of father, friend and older brother all for the sake of his protege and for that, Izuku was more than grateful.

"Well well, look who decided to come out of the grave." said a mocking male voice as soon as he set foot in the kitchen "Spent another night in the throes of your heartburns? Or did you spend the night going around on your motorcycle? Again."

Izuku snorted at that before taking a cup and filling it with coffee, then sitting at the table with Johnny. The heartburns were a joking definition used between them to indicate a part of Izuku's Quirk that, even after twelve years, did not have a name yet nor did they know all its effects.

Days after losing his mother, Izuku had begun to experience severe pains in his chest during different times of the day, as if something were burning inside him, but at night the pains became even stronger. No doctor had been able to discover the origins of those pains or a way to suppress them and, as the days went by, the pains had become stronger and stronger, leading Izuku to develop a strong pain tolerance. After almost a full year, the pains did not hurt him as before, but they led him to spend many sleepless nights. That had led Johnny to remove Izuku from the kindergarten for a whole year so as to be sure of his health and, consequently, Izuku had found himself in the same class as Katsuki Bakugo, a child who had made fun of him several times due to his lack of Quirk.

During their second year together they had discovered another aspect of his Quirk, namely the possibility of melting things, especially metal objects. Johnny still had nightmares about it since the first thing Izuku had melted was the muffler of an all original 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster. The desperate scream of the man had been heard throughout the city and Izuku had had a panic attack in seeing his guardian on the ground with white eyes and foam coming out of his mouth. Although, thinking back to the episode, now Izuku could not help but chuckle.

For another two years, they had not discovered anything new about his Quirk but one evening, during a dinner with the newly promoted detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, who had become a family friend, they had come to the conclusion that, whenever Izuku felt those heartburns, a villain was at work somewhere. None of them knew how to explain it but apparently Izuku knew about it when someone was committing illegal actions, albeit in a somewhat painful way.

However, everything changed one night when Izuku was only fourteen years old...

* * *

 _ **Flash-back**_

 _[ **Johnny's Motorcycle Shop** / Two years ago ]_

 _Izuku yawned slightly, flipping through the pages of an old motorcycle magazine. His caretaker's shop was empty at that time of the evening but Izuku liked spending time there, even just to look at the magazines he had read so many times._

 _After discovering that Johnny was a former stunt motorcycle rider, a very good one by the way, Izuku was not surprised to find out that he had decided to open a motorcycle shop in Tokyo, although not in the city center but rather close to the residential area. All his doubts about it had vanished a few days after the opening, when he had seen many customers in the store asking for things about new motorcycles, spare parts and so on. And all this had done nothing but stir up his curiosity about the world of motorcycles, leading him to ask for information from Johnny._

 _Now, Johnny was a lot of things and 'Encyclopedia on Motorcycles' was one of them, definitely. After almost three hours of conversation, Izuku found himself drawn to that world and, over the course of months, he had started spending more and more time there learning new things about motorcycles. He knew how they were made, how to disassemble them, how to repair them and also how to drive them thanks to Johnny's secret lessons, all he needed was a bike of his own but for that he had to wait to be sixteen._

" _I see you've grown since the last time we met." said a male voice scaring Izuku to death and only out of sheer luck he did not throw the magazine in the face of the man who had spoken._

" _Y-you?!" almost shouted Izuku looking at the same blond man, currently standing near the entrance with the cane in his hands._

" _Hello Izuku, it's been a while."_

 _The young boy calmed down a bit seeing him "Yeah...almost ten years."_

" _That long? Seems that my commitments in America took me longer than expected." said the man with a little smile before nodding to Izuku "I heard about your mother. You have my most sincere condolences."_

" _Thank you..." said Izuku with sad eyes at the thought of his mother, before asking "Are you here for the contract?"_

" _Mh, yes and no." said the man confusing him "You see, I can feel that, in the next few years, I will be forced to collect the favor with you...but I fear that coming to you suddenly might be counterproductive. After all, you have barely discovered some small aspects of your Quirk."_

" _About that, can you explain something? Because melting things and knowing when the villains are acting does not seem like such a powerful Quirk." said Izuku sounding a little irritated, rightly so._

" _I'm sorry, but I can not explain everything about your Quirk but I can still give you the basics." chuckled the man tapping the cane on the ground "You must know that you are not the only one who has signed a contract with me and every time the Quirk that I give changes in some aspects but the base is the same. First of all, your body was too immature when you received the Quirk, so it just gave you little...tastings of its power. Now that I am here, I will make sure that your body matures quickly, so in a few years you will be more than ready to use it to the best of your ability." the man showed Izuku a little smile, making him shiver under those eyes "But tonight, since you had to endure that pain within you for ten years...I will make sure that you can eliminate the source of such pain."_

 _Izuku looked at him with eyes full of confusion and fear but then his mind understood the words of the man "Wait! Who told you about my pai-UGH!"_

 _A sudden stab of pain in the chest caused him to fall on his knees, his eyes now filled with pain and difficulty in breathing._

" _Can you feel it, Izuku? Your power is trying to get out and it would not be healthy to keep him inside of you. You must hurry, if you do not want to suffer further." the man said with a smile, but when Izuku looked up, he was already gone._

 _Rising with difficulty, Izuku tried to get to the phone of the store but his legs moved by themselves, instead approaching a motorcycle not far away, a Kawasaki Ninja 400 completely black ready to go and kept on display for customers. Upon touching it with one hand, Izuku was surprised to hear the engine start up as if it had its own life and, before he could realize it, he had already climbed into the saddle with the hands clasped around the hand grips._

 _With a rapid acceleration, the bike moved by itself and shattered the shop window, while Izuku tried in every way not to lose the grip on the handlebars of the bike, closing his eyes to avoid the shards of glass that opened small cuts on his face. Accelerating more and more the bike drove to the edge of the residential area, bordering the industrial zone, full of warehouses and factories. Izuku then tried to turn the handlebars to change the road, but the bike slipped into a large warehouse without gates and, without any warning, braked sharply, sending Izuku forward with a somersault that ended with his back against the concrete of the floor, knocking the air out of his lungs._

 _Izuku suppressed a lament, his eyes closed with pain, but when he opened them again, smoke began to come out of them, alarming him. Standing up in spite of the pain that had become even stronger, he put his hands over the eyes to try to soothe that unbearable feeling of burning but, to his utmost fear, he noticed that even his hands were smoking and, looking sown, his fear grew in seeing violent flames wrapping around his feet, leaving flaming footprints every time he took a step forward despite his body shaken by violent spasms._

 _With the passing of seconds, the burning sensation was transmitted throughout the body and the pain became unbearable, leading Izuku to scream at full lungs as bright red veins began to appear on his hands and the rest of his body. The pain soon led to a kind of hysteria, and Izuku began to laugh and scream at the same time, looking helpless as his muscles were burned from the inside and with every little spasm of his hands, pieces of skin were charred, showing white and immaculate bones wrapped in flames._

 _His eyes, now completely dissolved and replaced by those very flames, looked around for something that could help, ignoring his hair as they were devoured by the flames as well as the rest of his body. The pain continued to grow but, after a last violent spasm, Izuku stiffened, looking down while the last piece of skin was burned._

 _He stood in that position for several seconds, then slowly raising his head now reduced to a flaming skull._

 _An inhuman roar echoed in the night air._

* * *

 _[ **Tokyo's Suburbs** / A few minutes after ]_

" _Come on, old man. We just need some cash. Do not you want to do a good deed?" asked a man with four arms and long black hair, looking at the little form of an old man with blue skin in front of him._

" _I have nothing to give to criminals like you!" shouted the old man before being punched in the face by the multi-armed man. The blow made him stagger to a second delinquent who turned his right forearm into a spring, hitting him in the face and knocking him down at the feet of the third and last member of their group, who looked at the man with a grin on his face._

" _You should be kinder, old man. We young people really need money, do you know? Therefore..." he made a strange noise with his throat and then spit a ball of fire that hit a waste bin, burning it in a few seconds "Give us your money or you'll be in big trouble!"_

 _Before the old man could reply, a violent roaring noise echoed in the air, surprising him and the three thugs. Sensing the origin of the sound, the three delinquents turned towards a tunnel not far from them, from which one could glimpse a light getting closer and closer. In a few moments, what appeared to be a simple light turned out to be a vehicle enveloped in flames that literally flew over their heads, forcing them to duck down so as not to be hit, before landing behind them, creating a small explosion that threw pieces of asphalt and ground into the air._

 _The three delinquents immediately turned to the point of the impact while the old man fell to the ground in shock, still uncertain about what had happened. With the thinning of the smoke created during the impact, a figure began to appear and the three men felt a sensation of fear and terror nestling in the deepest corners of their souls._

 _Standing just ten meters from them, there was what could only be described as a demonic motorbike and its rider, both wrapped in hellfire._

 _The bike seemed to be made entirely of black steel but with parts that looked like human bones, like the spokes of the wheels shaped like blades and the handlebars that were the horns of an infernal goat skull while the rest of the skull was in place of the headlight, with flames burning fiercely in its sockets. The engine looked like a ribcage from which protruded four iron pipes that stretched to the rear wheel, becoming four mufflers with strange glowing incisions on them. Both wheels, completely in flames, were covered by fenders that seemed to have been created by spines, with a small curved blade for each vertebra._

 _Sitting on the seat of the motorcycle, however, there was a flaming skeleton wearing a black hoodie, jeans of the same color and red shoes. Slowly turning his head, the skeleton stared at the three delinquents, sending another shiver down their backs. With absolute calm, the skeleton got off the bike, revealing to be lower than expected but no less threatening and, without deigning the three men of a second look, he looked at the old man still on the ground who was trembling with fear._

 _With a quick tilt of the head, the skeleton pointed to the houses not far away and, grasping the meaning of that gesture, the old man stood up with uncertainty, stammering a low "Thank you." before running in that direction, leaving the skeleton alone with the three men._

 _The one with four arms was the first to recover, immediately showing a big grin "Well, I've seen some ugly people but you're certainly one of the ugliest! Your appearance surprised us so much that the old man managed to escape! It means that you will replace him! I hope your money is fireproof because we really need it!"_

 _Without waiting for an answer, the man approached the skeleton and tried to grab the hoodie with one of his hands but the skeleton grabbed his wrist without even looking and, with a quick pressure, broke it cleanly. The man's mind did not have time to register the pain that the skeleton hit him with a violent fist in the belly, burning his skin and making him fall to his knees. Before his two comrades could intervene, the skeleton grabbed the delinquent by the throat, forcing the man to look at him, and after raising his right hand showing a sphere of fire, he used it to hit the face of the man who, under the terrified eyes of the other two, was completely burnt to ashes within a second._

 _The other two were paralyzed by fear but the second delinquent ran forward turning both forearms into springs and then trying to hit the skeleton from the distance, taking advantage of the strength of his Quirk. His plan failed miserably as soon as the skeleton succeeded in grasping both the springs before the two fists could hit him. The man tried to free himself but his vain attempts ended when the skeleton melted both springs, effectively amputating the hands of the man who fell to the ground screaming in the grip of a pain never felt before while looking at the cauterized stumps he had in place of the wrists._

 _Not paying attention to the screams of the man, the skeleton turned to the last thug left just in time to be hit in the face by a ball of fire. The man grinned mockingly, thinking he had hurt him somehow, but his expression changed into a mask of terror as soon as he saw that the skeleton had not been minimally affected by his fire._

" _ **You like playing with fire?** " asked the skeleton looking at him " **Let's play.** "_

 _The man took a few steps back before running away at breakneck speed "S-stay away from me!"_

 _The skeleton did not immediately pursue him but picked up a piece of cement from the ground that was immediately covered with red veins. Aiming at the man on the run, the skeleton flung the fragment that exploded in contact with the man's back, causing him to fall to the ground screaming in pain. Seeing the man on the ground, the skeleton took a few steps towards him, only to notice a small ironmongery. Entering the shop, the skeleton looked around until he saw a series of chains hanging from the ceiling and, after grabbing one, he ripped it off the hook._

 _Walking out of the shop with the chain dangling from his fist, he saw that the third man was trying to crawl away with his back completely burned and what was left of his clothes was now melted with his skin. The skeleton reached him with a few steps and, upon hearing him coming, the man turned slowly with eyes full of terror, just in time to see the skeleton stretch the chain in his hands, igniting it instantly._

" _H-have mercy!"_

" _ **Sorry.** " said the skeleton shacking his head " **All out of mercy.** "_

 _With a wide arm movement, the skeleton released the chain behind him as a small part wrapped around his arm. Realizing his intentions, the man tried again to escape but found himself immediately blocked by the chain now tight around his chest. A loud scream came from his throat as the flames of the chain began to devour his body._

" _S-somebody! Help me!"_

 _His screams ceased when the skeleton jerked the chain, reducing the man to a pile of ashes that was dispersed by the wind. The chain went off at that moment and, with a simple gesture of the arm, the skeleton wrapped it around his chest twice, then started to walk towards the bike, ignoring the man to whom he had torn off his hands, which was still on the ground, intent to look at the skeleton with eyes full of tears and a big dark stain in his pants._

 _His fear, however, reached new heights when the skeleton, back on his bike, made it skid for a few seconds, pointing the front wheel at him._

" _No...no...no! No!" shouted the man trying to get up but without success "I don't deserve to die!"_

" _ **Everyone says that...** "_

 _Without any hesitation, the skeleton set off at full speed and never slowed down, even when the man's desperate face was only a few inches from his bike's wheel..._

* * *

 _[ **Johnny's Motorcycle Shop** / The next day ]_

 _Normally Johnny was a calm person, playful and also quite lazy for all that was not about motorcycles but at that moment his mind was working overtime to understand what happened in his shop. Not only one of the windows was shattered, but one of the bikes had disappeared and the same could be said of Izuku!_

 _It was the good time that he decided to install some security camera, if he did not die of a heart attack..._

 _He had already called Naomasa to explain the situation but the detective told him that, at the time, the police station was in the chaos because of the countless phone calls they were receiving about a series of murders that took place in the city during the night._

 _'I hope you are fine Izuku, because otherwise I will never be able to find the courage to look at your parents in the eyes when I'll see them again...' thought Johnny when the phone in the shop rang and, after not even the first ring, he already had the receiver close to his ear._

" _Who's calling?!"_

 _On the other side of the line, he heard a faint chuckle "G-good morning..."_

" _Izuku?! Where the Hell are you?! What happened last night?! What happened to the shop?! The Kawasaki?! Are you fine?! Someone kidnapped you?!" shouted Johnny without thinking at his words._

" _I'm fine Johnny...I'm just really tired..." said Izuku sounding really worn out "I'm somewhere in the countryside outside the city, an old man allowed me to use his phone..."_

 _Johnny sighed with relief. At least Izuku was fine._

" _Izuku, what happened last night?"_

 _Another faint chuckle "You would not believe me..."_

 _ **End Flash-back**_

* * *

Indeed Johnny had not believed him, at first, but the news concerning a flaming skeleton riding a demonic motorcycle, several criminals killed during the night and Izuku himself who had shown him some powers...well let's just say that they had served the purpose to convince him. Of course, despite some witnesses praising the Flaming Centaur, so he had been called by journalists, Izuku had suffered the worst blow by learning to have killed a dozen people without remorse during the night.

When he had turned back at sunrise, his memories were confused and unclear but, as the hours passed, he had remembered all the faces of his victims as they begged for mercy. The face of the man to whom he had amputated his hands before investing him with the bike was the decisive drop to make him run to the bathroom to vomit repeatedly until his stomach was left empty.

Johnny had tried to console him to the best of his ability, but his words had been useless. Only after several hours, when Naomasa was present too, Izuku had decided to tell them the whole story, from the contract with that blond man until the night when he turned into a burning skeleton. To say that they were speechless would have been a euphemism but at the end of everything, they lived in a world with heroes and villains, so that story could almost pass as normal, from a certain point of view. A decidedly sick point of view.

Naomasa had been inclined to bring Izuku to the station for some questions so as to file the incident as an "Isolated Case of Loss of Control", but Johnny immediately objected, saying that Izuku already had so much trouble with that damn Quirk and did not need the police, heroes or villains to breathe on his neck. In the end, they had decided to keep the secret, trying to help Izuku master his Quirk and that long path that had lasted for two years had given many fruits but unfortunately...

"A rapist." said Izuku sipping his coffee.

Johnny nodded with the mouth full of bacon "This month you're only at three, I'd say it's a step forward."

"If you say so..." said Izuku with a sigh "What's the point of being able to control this Quirk even during the day if at night it acts on its own?"

"I'm sure you'll find a solution. Now go get ready, because I'm not going to take you to school." said Johnny with a little grin. Izuku shook his head with an amused smile and put the cup in the sink before returning to his room to put on the school uniform.

The memories of the night just ended were still vivid in his mind, especially the moment when he was burning that rapist before he could hurt a girl. That was a big disadvantage of his Quirk because, during those two years of training, Izuku had managed to control his transformation, managing to use it even during the day, which was impossible before. However, at night, when the villains exceeded a certain limit, his Quirk acted alone, making him transform and then take him to the nearest criminal to kill him.

Now, Izuku did not kill with pleasure, preferring to use an aspect of his power that he had named Penance Stare, which did not kill but condemned a person in a coma while the mind suffered all the pains that the villain had inflicted on his or her victims, for the eternity. The government had even created a new wing for a hospital in Tokyo where the victims of his Stare were hospitalized.

This led Izuku to think of the worst thing that had happened to him since the first transformation two years ago.

He had become a vigilante and also a fable to scare children.

After the first night in which he had killed at least a dozen villains, the police and the heroes had issued an announcement for Flaming Centaur, the pseudonym with which he was still known, stating that he was wanted for improper use of his Quirk and other things related to doing justice alone, labeling him as a vigilante since he had only killed criminals and not innocent people. Which was not exactly comforting from Izuku's point of view.

Unfortunately for him, after a year his victims had risen to seventy, with only five cases of criminals ended up in a coma. In the second year, however, Izuku had managed to master his Quirk, bringing the number of criminals killed to ninety with over fifty victims ended up in a coma. Only during the second year the Flaming Centaur's fairy tale was born to scare off bad kids at school, and Izuku didn't really know what to think of that fable...

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Izuku put on his uniform jacket and headed for the front door.

"I'm going out, Johnny!"

"See you this afternoon!" shouted Johnny from the bathroom.

Izuku then looked at a photo placed near the door, taken when he was only three years old with his mother. Smiling at the photo, he whispered "I'm going out, mom..."

* * *

[ **Somewhere in Tokyo** / _That afternoon_ ]

' _Think about our future, huh?_ ' thought Izuku while looking at the career aspiration document that the professor had given him at school ' _If everything had gone on as usual, I probably would have raised my hand to the idea of becoming a hero..._ '

For those who really knew Izuku, his mother's death had changed him almost drastically. If before he was practically obsessed with heroes, having a Quirk and, above all, All Might, now he almost never stopped to observe the fights between heroes and villains, and didn't even have the aspiration to become like them, especially after the last two years. Obviously some things like his admiration for All Might had not vanished but they weren't as before.

Probably the best idea would be to go to work in some factory that needed to melt materials, that was one aspect of his Quirk that Izuku controlled better. After all, as many had shown, having a Quirk did not necessarily mean to be a hero, an example was Johnny with his Quirk 'Second Chance' that, once a day, allowed him to nullify the damage received in an accident or things like that, very useful during his career as a stunt motorcycle rider.

With a sigh, he walked into a small tunnel that would take him home but then he felt a burning sensation in his chest.

' _Not again..._ '

At that moment, a large amount of dark slime wrapped him from behind "Invisibility cloak...size L..."

Izuku turned his head just a little to be able to see two big eyes and a series of teeth attached to that slime, while the villain talked about things like hiding for a while and why _he_ was in town.

' _He's trying to take control?_ ' thought Izuku having already fought against an enemy like this, months before. The slime seemed not to notice the eyes of Izuku as they began to burn as well as his right hand ' _You've been unlucky, right now I do not really have the patience to deal with you!_ '

" **DO NOT WORRY, KID!** " shouted a deep male voice as a manhole was thrown into the air by a fist " **BECAUSE I'M HERE!** "

This time, Izuku widened his eyes in surprise seeing All Might come out of the manhole and, before he could think of anything, the hero had already charged his right fist.

" **TEXAS SMASH!** "

With the movement of his arm alone, All Might generated a violent shock wave that swept away the slime but also had the effect of knocking Izuku to the ground, causing him to lose consciousness. Only after a few minutes he woke up with some light pats on his cheek.

"U-uh? A-All Might?!"

" **Thank God! You seem to be doing well, this is the most important!** " said All Might with the smile always present on his face.

Izuku looked at him speechless, having not yet realized that he was in the presence of his idol, the hero who more than anyone had inspired him when he was a child. Looking at him, he could not help but think ' _He's always smiling..._ '

"A-All Might, can I ask you something?"

" **You know, pro-heroes must constantly fight against time and evil.** " said the hero bending the legs as if to jump while Izuku took a few steps forward " **With that, I'm counting on you to continue in the future to support me!** " and with that, he jumped into the sky, reaching an incredible height in a few moments, but he wasn't alone. Feeling a weight on his legs, All Might turned slightly his head and saw Izuku hanging from his ankles " **Uh?! No, no! What are you doing? Are you crazy or something?!** "

"I have to ask you something important!" shouted Izuku trying not to lose his grip while his eyelids and cheeks were about to be torn off by the wind.

" **O** **K** **OK** **, I understand! Close you eyes and mouth now!** " said All might with a little sweatdrop before coughing up a few drops of blood ' _ **Shit!**_ '

After a second, he tilted his body and then swooped down onto the roof of a building, managing not to damage the roof.

"That was really creepy..." said Izuku on his knees. Driving a motorcycle was one thing, but flying hanging from a hero's ankles was something completely different. Shaking his head to recover, he saw that All Might was about to leave again "Wait...!"

" **No! I can't wait!** " without looking at him and so, Izuku simply asked "Why do you always smile?!"

" **Why do I always smile?** " repeated All Might looking at him before feeling a strange sensation inside him as smoke began to escape from his body ' _ **Damn it, not now!**_ '

"I know it sounds like a rude question...but I wanted to know. You always save people with a smile on your face, no matter what you're going to face..." Izuku, who had held his head down until then, slowly raised it "Years ago I wanted to be just like youuuuUUH?!" only to find himself in front of a very thin man with hollow cheeks and eyes sunk in their sockets "W-what the...?! You shrunk! Are you some kind of clone or fake of All Might?!"

The man stared at him for a few seconds in silence and then opened his mouth, throwing up a lot of blood "I am All Might."

"What?! Your voice has even changed! You can't be him!"

"Think of those people in the pool who hold their breath so as to look more muscular. More or less it is the same thing." said All Might with a calm voice.

"This is even more absurd!" shouted Izuku trying to think about something, anything to say!

Sighing, he sat down on the roof "Why I always smile, huh? Well, as you can see, kid...what is written on the internet is not necessarily true, you know?"

"But...you..."

All Might raised his shirt, showing a horrible scar on his left chest, surrounded by scar tissue and sutures "This is a wound I got five years ago by the attack of a villain. The result? Semi-destruction of my respiratory system and total removal of my stomach. My face is emaciated and haggard while my eyes are a side effect of repeated surgeries. Currently I can't work actively as a hero more than about three hours a day. That's my limit."

Izuku looked at him without knowing what to think, but then his mind focused on some words spoken by All Might "Five years ago...? When you fought against Venomous Chainsaw?"

"I won't let them get me like that, anyway!" said All Might raising a fist before looking down "What I just told you was never publicly disclosed. I will therefore ask not to reveal to anyone, please." when All Might looked at him again, Izuku felt the huge pressure of his gaze "The 'Symbol of Peace' who saves people with a smile...absolutely can't afford to bow to the forces of evil."

Seeing Izuku's face, which showed understanding and alarm, he added "The reason why I always smile and laugh is to fight the fear and pressure that crush me every time I perform a heroic action, as well as instill courage and trust in people who need a symbol of hope."

Izuku stood there for several seconds, looking at the roof "I...I see..." he then bowed "I'm really sorry to have bothered you and discovered your secret. I promise I will not tell anyone."

"I can say that you are a good kid so I have no reason to worry." said All Might with a nod before asking "Why did you want to know why I always smile? My fans usually want to know the secrets of my Quirk and the like."

Izuku suppressed a shudder at the question, preferring to look elsewhere "When I was four, I discovered that my mother was sick. Quirk Cancer. I was very young but also very smart, so I looked for information about it and found that the cancer was deadly and incurable." Izuku walked up to the railing of the roof, watching the city as All Might followed him with his eyes "I had also recently discovered that I had no Quirk so I was desperate...but then something happened and my mother healed within a night, defeating the cancer."

All Might widened his eyes in surprise, before asking "Your mother was Inko Midoriya?"

This time, Izuku was the one surprised "Did you know her?"

All Might shook his head "Never met, but I know she was one of the victims during a terrorist attack, about twelve years ago. I remember her name because I was one of the heroes to take care of the villains, moreover I remember her because, when some of her belongings were withdrawn by the police, it was discovered that she had defeated the cancer thanks to the data obtained from a medical device that she used every morning. Unfortunately, due to the explosion, it was not possible to recover the body so as to discover a possible cure."

"I was there..." whispered Izuku catching his attention "The last memory I have of her is her back that moves away before being hit by the explosion. I tried to get close, thinking of being able to find her, but I was stopped by Death Arms and then delivered to the police, and from there to the hospital where I met my current guardian. He knew you were my idol and that you had something different from all the other heroes." Izuku showed a little smile "That you always smile. He also told me that the people who can smile in the most difficult moments are the strongest but, despite his words, I never managed to find my real smile. Yes, sometimes I smile but never like when I was four and watched your old videos on YouTube..."

The two remained silent for a few seconds, then All Might asked "Do you hate me?"

Izuku arched an eyebrow "Why should I hate you? Because my mother died, and nobody could save her?" he shook his head looking back at the city "Perhaps once I hated all the heroes indiscriminately for that reason, but growing up and becoming aware of the dynamics of the terrorist attack, I realized that it made no sense to point the finger at you heroes. Nobody could know, it happened too fast. I know there is a hero, Sir Nighteye..." here he missed the wince from All Might upon hearing that name "He can see in the future but his power must have different non-public limits, otherwise he could have foreseen it but it did not go that way."

All Might looked at him seriously "You're really mature for your age, I'm sure you'll do important things when you grow up, even without a Quirk." and, missing the face of Izuku who wanted to correct him, he walked toward the door of the roof "Good luck kid and, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your mother."

Izuku looked at him with a little smile, forgetting about what he wanted to tell him "Thank you."

All Might nodded and walked away, closing the door behind him ' _Well, I gotta hurry and take...!_ '

Patting his leg, the hero noticed the absence of the two bottles where he had imprisoned the slime and, at that moment, he saw an explosion in the distance from a window ' _This is not true...!_ '

* * *

[ **Not far away** / _A few minutes later_ ]

Still in his skinny form, All Might reached the back of a large crowd, noting the slime he had defeated before destroying the surroundings while trying to absorb the body of a young boy, all while other heroes tried to contain the damage without being able to attack him.

' _He must have fallen at that time!_ ' he thought recalling the moment when the young boy with green hair had hung on his legs and he had been forced to land ' _I was so absorbed in what I was doing that I didn't see the time pass! What a mistake on my part! All this because I was talking with a fan! I'm pathetic...!_ ' he clenched a hand on his scar ' _So pathetic!_ '

"Anyway, this villain..." said someone in the crowd "Isn't this the one All Might pursued earlier?"

All Might almost chocked in his own saliva ' _Shit..._ '

"All Might?! Seriously?! Do you think he will come?!"

' _Shit!_ '

"I've caught a glimpse of him before."

' _No, you didn't!_ '

"Well then, why is he taking so long to get here?!"

' _I'm right here, you know?!_ ' All Might clenched again his scar but, when he looked again in the direction of the slime, he saw a green blur running towards him, shocking him ' _What the Hell is he doing?!_ '

* * *

' _What the Hell am I doing?!_ ' thought Izuku running toward the slime that had captured his classmate, Katsuki Bakugo ' _He is not my friend, he bullied me whenever he could and insults me every time he opens his mouth. So why am I trying to save him?!_ '

Izuku dodged a tentacle made of slime, throwing his schoolbag so as to hinder the sight of the villain before jumping on him, grabbing a wrist of Bakugo.

"Deku?! What are you doing here?!" shouted the blond boy looking at the older boy.

"My legs moved by themselves! I really don't understand why!" shouted back Izuku trying to free him "I have no reason to help you...but it will be a cold day in Hell when I'll let someone die under my gaze without doing anything!"

Having removed the schoolbag from his face, the slime tried to hit Izuku with a huge hand but the boy saw him and raised his free arm to counterattack. Flames began to wrap his arm as Izuku glared at the slime ' _I do not care if I get in trouble but I will not let you kill an innocent!_ ' but, just when he was about to hit the slime, a hand grabbed the wrists of both boys.

" **Well spoken! I could not have said it better!** " shouted All Might with smoke rising from his body.

' _ **Right now, I was scared! I feared for my life! How pathetic!**_ ' thought All Might raising his right fist " **Heroes put their lives all the time in the game!** "

With all his strength, All might hit the ground screaming " **DETROIT SMASH!** " and thus destroying the slime again which ended up on the neighboring walls and on the asphalt.

As All Might was immediately surrounded by the crowd, the other heroes began to retrieve the pieces of the slime. After almost twenty minutes of work, Izuku found himself faced with an old acquaintance intent on screaming at him.

"What went through your head! You almost died! I can not save you every time you get close to danger!" shouted Death Arms while Izuku tried to ignore him.

"Yes yes I know, can you stop screaming, please?" asked Izuku making him even more angry.

"Why you...!"

Meanwhile, Bakugo was being praised for the strength of his Quirk but seemed to ignore the words of the heroes, just as Izuku was ignoring a second outburst by Death Arms. Fortunately for him, after that outburst he had the go-ahead to go home. Finally!

' _What a day...I just hope I was not seen by the cameras. All we need is for Johnny to reproach me..._ ' thought Izuku with a grim look before hearing a loud "Hey! Good for nothing!" behind him and, upon tuning, he was surprised to see Bakugo standing a few meters from him ' _Don't tell me he really wants to thank me...!_ '

"I never asked for you to come help me!" hissed Bakugo clenching his teeth "I didn't need to be saved! I could take care of myself, okay?! I do not need to apologize or thank a Quirkless person like you!" and with that, he walked away shouting a last "Fucking bike-nerd!"

Izuku couldn't help but sweatdrop at him ' _He definitely has a problem controlling his emotions..._ ' before shaking his head ' _Better go home before something else hap-!_ '

" **I'M HERE!** "

"All Might?!" shouted Izuku with wide eyes "What are you doing here? You were surrounded by a horde of reporters!"

" **I can avoid them if I want to!** "said All Might pointing at the sky" **After all, I'm All** *cough* *bleargh* Might!"

"Can not you do something for the blood?!" shouted Izuku looking at the slim form of his idol.

"Kid. I came to thank you and make some corrections...and I also have a proposal for you." said All Might looking at him with serious eyes "If you hadn't been there and if I didn't hear your personal story...I would have risked doing nothing, letting that poor boy die. For all that, I must thank you!"

"Don't...I did something stupid, putting Bakugo's life at risk, when the other heroes were deciding what to do." said Izuku shaking his head.

"About that!" shouted the blond skinny man catching his attention "At that time, no one could act. You're the only one who did something, you! A simple boy without Quirk! And that really touched me!"

' _Does he still think that I do not have a Quirk?_ ' thought Izuku wanting to interrupt All Might to tell him that in reality he was not Quirkless, but out of respect he let him talk.

"Do you know how some heroes were born when they were just students?" All Might took a deep breath "They were born with the phrase: my body moved by itself!"

Izuku looked at him carefully, feeling the energy in those words as well as something moving inside him.

"This is what happened to you too, right?!"

"Yes..." Izuku answered, thinking back to some words he thought he had buried in his mind.

' _Mom! I can be a hero too! I can get a Quirk!_ '

' _I'm sure you will succeed, honey._ '

"Kid." said All Might with the most serious look he could master "You can be a real hero."

Izuku felt like he was struck by lightning when he heard those words, memories of when he was a child began to crowd his mind uncontrollably. Wanting to get a powerful Quirk, wanting to become a hero, wanting to become like All Might...those had been his dreams. However, a more recent memory became vivid like no other, reminding him of the sad reality.

"All Might...I..." Izuku clenched his fists, searching for the courage to answer him. He could have told him many things, he _wanted_ to tell him many things, but a few simple words came out of his mouth.

"I don't want to be a hero."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN** **CHAPTER 2: MEMORIES AND DREAMS**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the first chapter!**

 **Did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know! Now, speaking of the chapter itself, we saw the first transformation of Izuku as well as his growth over the years, albeit in a fast and undefined way but I preferred to manage its past in that way. As many of you may have already guessed, Izuku will be a mixture of the different Ghost Rider appeared (comics, movies, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., etc...), both in terms of powers and personality, and so on.**

 **Since fighting only at night would be decidedly disadvantageous, Izuku already has the ability to transform at will but at night, when the evil reaches a certain level, the Ghost Rider's power will act alone. Also, as you may have noticed, Izuku is more mature and less lively than his original character. He will not get a grey personality, but it will not even be a Spider-man thing or any other character of that kind.**

 **I hope, however, that it does not bother you that he is older than the others, even if you could simply do so by moving his birth date in the same year, so that he would do the years before everyone else. I did this because of the drive license in Japan, where to drive some bikes you must be at least sixteen.**

 **In the next chapter we will find out why Izuku does not want to become a hero and do not worry, the story will not end this way!**

 **Now, as for the pairing, some in the reviews have expressed their preferences and we have reached this point:**

 **\- Izuku x Mina (2 votes);**

 **\- Izuku x Kyoka (1 vote);**

 **\- Izuku x Harem (1 vote);**

 **\- Izuku x Momo (1 vote);**

 **\- No Harem (1 vote);**

 **If you have any preferences, let me know! Now, let's move on to the answers to the reviews!**

 **\- kaijin36: Glad to hear that!**

 **\- Feel The Void: Here's more!**

 **\- Guest: We will see how the pairing issue will end. Also for the idea of the vigilante I have something in store for the future.**

 **\- HotSoup2017: I hope to live up to the hype! No, in this story Johnny will be a "simple" human but I did not want to make him disappear altogether. We will find out his alignment in the next chapter!**

 **\- Guest: Glad to hear that!**

 **\- Anthony Altamirano: We will see how the pairing issue will end, and I'm glad you enjoy this story!**

 **\- Howler66: Here's more!**

 **\- Divine above question: I will try to complete it!**

 **\- Dragontitan: We will see how the pairing issue will end!**

 **\- Yuri-sage: We will see how the pairing issue will end! I hope to live up to the hype!**

 **\- Guest: Here's more!**

 **\- Johnny Spectre: We all hope so!**

 **\- Lightningblade49: In the future, yes!**

 **\- Izuku1215: Glad to hear that and here's more!**

 **\- 1stGenAgainstAllOdds: I'm not a huge fan of that Ghost Rider, but I've already added two quotes from the show!**

 **\- Little Lone Wolf115: Here's more!**

 **\- WolfDragon: He definitely came in this chapter!**

 **And done! Hope you'll still follow this story in the future!**

 **See you around and have a good day/night!**


	3. Memories and Dreams

**CHAPTER 2: MEMORIES AND DREAMS**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

An unreal silence reigned in the street as the sunlight was fading more and more. All Might stood still with the sun behind him, his eyes wide open as his mind tried to process the words just heard. In front of him, Izuku did not look away, having already said what he wanted to say. Looking away would have seemed an action worthy of someone who only knows how to speak and not act.

"You do not want to become a hero?" repeated All Might thinking he hadn't heard correctly but, seeing Izuku nod, he knew he had heard all too well "Is it because you are Quirkless?"

"Actually I'm not Quirkless." said Izuku confusing him "True, when I was four years old I went to a doctor to see if I could know what my Quirk was, but he told me that I belonged to that slice of people born without a Quirk. On the same day I also learned about my mother's cancer." seeing the confusion still present on All Might's face, he added "You have revealed to me your secret, albeit not voluntarily, so I'd like to return the favor somehow. It's a complicated story, would you like to hear it?"

Seeing the seriousness of his gaze, All Might nodded "If, despite your desire to help, you have decided not to want to become a hero, it must be one Hell of a story."

' _More than you think..._ ' thought Izuku before calling Johnny with his cell phone, warning him that he would be late and that he could have dinner without him. After the call was over, Izuku led All Might for a few minutes in the residential area until they arrived at an old abandoned building site, where there were still several scaffolding and machinery. Izuku went to lean against an iron beam, while All Might sat down on a pile of cement bags, nodding his head "I'm all ears, kid."

"I would say it would be right to start from the beginning when my mother miraculously managed to defeat the cancer." said Izuku folding his arms over the chest "I do not know what data you were able to recover from the medical device that my mom used, but I do not think that, even if you were able to recover her body, someone would be able to create a cure."

"Why? Yes, many doctors and scientists are still working on the cure using all that they can but..."

"My mom did not defeat the cancer, not alone at least. Someone healed her within a night." said Izuku shocking the pro-hero.

"How can you be so sure about that?" asked All Might "No Quirk used to cure has ever managed to cancel the effects of cancer."

"When that doctor told me that I was Quirkless, my mother asked me to wait outside the room because she had to speak privately with him. It was at that moment that I met a man dressed elegantly." explained Izuku looking at the sky "I do not know why, but I told him my problem and that I would never be able to become a hero. Imagine my surprise when he told me that not all Quirks were inherited through the genetic code but that there were several Quirks that could be passed from person to person or that some Quirks could even create new Quirks and transmit them."

Again, All might was shocked. Of course, he knew of the existence of the Quirks that might have passed from one person to another, he himself owned one, but what shocked him was that people outside a restricted circle knew about this information.

"Who was this man? Do you know his name?"

"As it may seem absurd...no, I do not know his name. I met him only three times in my life and I never managed to ask him his name." said Izuku with a shrug "The first time was in that waiting room, I met him for the second time on the following day and I explained to him about my mother, so he asked me something that even today I struggle to believe." he looked at All Might with eyes full of seriousness "He offered me a contract. A cure for my mother and a Quirk for me, in exchange for my soul, even if not literally. He told me that, in due course, he would come to me to collect the favor and that I would have to help him with something, but I do not know what."

All Might seemed to guess something and said "You accepted the offer. That man had offered you what you most wanted, isn't it?"

"As a matter of fact...yes, I signed that contract, although not in a normal way, or voluntary for that matter." nodded Izuku looking down with sad eyes "The next day, my mother was healed. I do not know how it was possible, but she was healed and she decided to go to the city center for some shopping...you know what happened then."

"The terrorist attack..."

"Yes, as I told you, at the hospital I met Johnny, an old friend of my mother and my new guardian." said Izuku "From that day on I lived with him, slowly discovering some aspects of the Quirk I had received, although I still do not know when I received it exactly. It all started when I melted something unintentionally and from then on the situation has improved so to speak, but then, two years ago, I met that man for the third time and that's when everything went to Hell."

"What do you mean?" All Might asked, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Izuku remained silent for several seconds, his head bent with the eyes shadowed by his hair. When All Might was about to speak again, he slowly raised his head, which began to burn like the rest of his body. The blond hero jumped on his feet, alarmed by what was happening but, when he was about to run toward the boy to help him extinguish the flames, he realized how Izuku was calm while his clothes were not affected by the flames. In a few moments, he saw the body of Izuku being consumed by the flames except for the bones, but all the questions that were forming in his mind had only one obscure answer when, in front of him, nothing remained but a flaming skeleton.

Slowly, Izuku raised a hand and placed two fingers between his teeth. Despite the complete absence of a throat, he managed to emit a short but strong whistle, confusing All Might. However, his confusion was short-lived when, in the distance, he heard the roar of an engine and, to his astonishment, saw a motorbike wrapped in flames jumping over the building site wall without difficulty, landing near Izuku.

At that moment, the mind of All Might, with years of experience, put all the pieces together and the pro-hero looked at Izuku with narrowed eyes "Flaming Centaur..."

Izuku nodded slowly " **Before you ask, no.** **I** **t was not my intention to make myself known for those things I've done.** "

"Forgive me kid, but it's hard to believe. It's been two years since your first appearance and your list of victims is not exactly short." said All Might in a serious tone of voice.

" **Understandable, but my story is not over yet. If you can, listen to me until the end and then you can judge me.** " said Izuku with a calm voice, although not exactly normal.

All Might looked at him for a few seconds but then sighed heavily, sitting down again "It may not seem like it, but I often let myself be controlled by emotions...this should be one of those situations but if you have had the courage to show me your true identity, then it is only right that I listen to the end. Go ahead."

" **My thanks.** " nodded Izuku before resuming " **When I met that man for the third time, he somehow managed to unlock part of my power, saying that in a few years he would come to collect the favor. At that moment I felt like I was on fire, I had never felt such a strong pain and my body started to move on its own. Without realizing it, I took a bike that started on its own and drove to an old warehouse where I slowly began to transform into what you see now. That was the night when Flaming Centaur killed for the first time and yet I feel like throwing up at the thought of that night.** " he looked up at All Might " **I had no control over my Quirk, my Quirk was in control and I could not stop it. I could only remember every morning what had happened during the night, the faces of those people whom I had killed without mercy. With the passing of the months, I began to control it but only after a year I managed to reach an acceptable level, going so far as to be able to transform at will. However, even today my Quirk acts alone, when the evil at night reaches certain levels...I can not control it. I can only hope that it will not harm innocent people, but as far as I can tell, the targets of my Quirk are villains and those with souls** **stained** **with blood.** "

All Might looked at him with sympathetic eyes "Why not ask for help after the first night? There are specialized centers for the control of one's Quirk."

" **It would not work. My Quirk is too powerful and...I was scared.** " admitted Izuku looking down " **I was only fourteen and had just killed a dozen people. I couldn't just go to some hero and explain what happened...** **I wanted to become a hero too, after all. Instead, I decided to learn how to control my Quirk so I could help people but a year ago I realized that I could never be a hero and I gave up my dream.** "

"Why? What happen a year ago?" asked All Might with curiosity and anxiety present in the voice. Perhaps it was the voice of experience, but something told him that it was not something pleasant.

" **A year ago...** " Izuku looked back at him and All Might felt uncomfortable upon seeing the 'look' of that inflamed skull. " **A year ago I almost killed a hero...** "

* * *

 _ **Flash-back**_

 _[ **Tokyo's Port** / A year ago ]_

 _Izuku silently drove his bike through the streets of the port area of Tokyo, blowing up the light of the different street lamps in its passage and setting fire to the few trees present. Apparently it was a side effect of his transformation but he did not care, not when he was transformed at least._

 _That was one of the nights where his Quirk had taken control._

 _Its thirst for vengeance had been piqued by the presence of several villains in the area, many of whom had a soul completely black. A call too strong to resist and Izuku could not do anything to stop his own power._

 _Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of a road near a large warehouse, then looking at the structure in silence. Hearing some laughter inside the building, Izuku got off his bike and approached the wall, placing a hand on it. In a few moments, the entire wall was crossed by red cracks and then collapsed to the ground. Ignoring the destruction caused, he advanced into the structure until he came to a large gate, behind which he could hear the laughter of a group of people. With a gesture similar to the previous one, he touched the metal surface but this time he melted it instantly, scaring the people inside who, at the sight of Izuku and his flaming skull, jumped away in fear, looking for something to use as a weapon._

" _Who the Hell are you?!" shouted a man with yellow skin and the eyebrows similar to lightnings._

 _Izuku didn't answer, merely looking at the group in front of him. Seven people, all armed with Quirks and weapons of different types, including an assault rifle, probably obtained from the black market, but what most attracted his attention were the crimes reflected in their souls. Theft, fraud, murder, betrayal, rape..._

" _Hey! I'm talking to you, freak!" the same man shouted with sparks around his feet._

 _Looking at him, Izuku took off the chain he wore around his chest, holding it with his right hand._

" _Well, I don't know who the Hell you think you are, but you just made a big mistake!" after charging both feet with electricity, the man darted forward to hit Izuku with a kick to the skull but the power of the shot simply tilted Izuku's head to the right, leaving the others open-mouthed._

" _ **Funny.** " said Izuku looking back at the man who was now walking backwards " **I was gonna say the same thing...** "_

 _Before the man could react, Izuku threw his chain around his chest like a snake and, after a violent jerk from Izuku, the yellow-skinned man was reduced to a pile of ashes._

" _He killed Simpson!" screamed a tall man with bull horns and a golden ring hanging on the nose._

" _You're a dead freak!" shouted a third man with hair similar to iron wires before stabbing him in the back with a knife. Feeling the sound of bones breaking, the man grinned triumphantly but when he pulled out the knife, he saw the blade gleam red before it melted instantly, missing the side glare that Izuku had sent to him._

" _What the-?" he didn't see the fist of Izuku wrapped in the chain that hit him in the face, throwing him against a wall, but his companions saw his face, or what remained of it, all too well while the man was writhing on the ground in pain for having most of his face burned and destroyed at the same time._

" _You bastard!" shouted two of the remaining opponents, both perfectly identical but while the first had some iron blades on his right arm, the other had them on his left arm and both of them tried to beheaded Izuku but, having heard them coming, he turned to them and grabbed the blades closer to him with his bare hands, blocking their attack. Just when he was about to melt their blades, the bull-man charged him from the side, managing to hit Izuku with his head and throw him against a pile of crates, destroying them all._

" _That was really close." breathed one of the twins, looking at the blade that had been grasped, noticing how it had been deformed by the heat. His brother was about to answer him when a violent explosion made the whole structure tremble and slammed the remaining five villains to the ground._

 _One of them, who seemed to be made entirely of mud and rocks, was the first to recover and when he saw the origin of the explosion, he could not hold back a cry of fear when he saw Izuku walking towards them without even a scratch on him._

" _Damn monster!" he shouted before jumping on him, spreading his entire body up to block the entire body of Izuku into a ball of mud._

" _Good job, Rocky!" exulted the bull-man "Now kill him and-!" his words died in his throat when he saw the whole ball of mud turn black as if it were made of burnt wood. A moment later, what was once his comrade was shattered, showing Izuku with his flames still alive._

" _J-just die already!" shouted the twins trying again to attack him but this time he did not try to grab their blades but slightly puffed his chest as if he had just breathed in the air. When they were both close enough, he blew a large amount of fire out of his mouth. Neither of them had time to scream before being reduced to ashes._

 _Looking up from the remains of the twins, Izuku noticed that the last two villains were no longer in sight but, feeling a slight but audible 'click' to his right, he turned his head in that direction, finding himself face to face with the barrel of an AK-47 held by the bull-man. The weapon was visibly small for him but it did not stop him from pulling the trigger while screaming "DIE!"_

 _Before the first bullet could reach him, Izuku opened his mouth and stood in that position until the last bullet had left the magazine. In the silence that followed, the bull-man could only press the trigger of the now-empty rifle with fear vivid in his eyes as Izuku slowly closed his mouth. A second later, he tilted his head back slightly before throwing up all the bullets swallowed together with flames in the villain's face._

 _The bull-man could only scream for a moment before the bullets and flames tore his head to pieces, killing him in a few seconds._

 _Ignoring the lifeless body of the villain, Izuku looked away and then pointed to a spot on the other side of the warehouse " **You.** " at that moment, the last villain became visible, showing his naked body since he had freed himself of his clothes " **Guilty.** "_

" _N-no! Stay away from me! Stay away!" shouted the man trying to run away from Izuku but the young boy had other plans in mind and, with a quick movement of his arm, lashed his chain like a whip, managing to hit the man behind his right knee, causing him to fall ruinously to the ground. Seeing him on the ground screaming in pain, Izuku walked towards him, preparing his chain but a powerful male voice shouted behind him, catching his attention._

" _Stop where you are, crazy torch!"_

 _Turning on himself, Izuku barely had time to see an iron brass knuckles before being hit in the face. The force behind the fist was such that he took a step backwards while turning his head. After a second necessary to keep the balance, Izuku returned to look at his assailant, ignoring his own jaw that had remained attached only on the right, hanging freely._

 _In a few seconds he had a good view of the three newcomers, two of whom were looking at him with disbelief visible on their faces while the third, the one who had punched him, was staring at him with narrowed eyes. The latter was a man with a muscular body, half his face covered with a_ _black_ _wrap-around mask_ _and a pair of_ _brass knuckles_ _clearly visible on his fists._

 _The other two, much less threatening, were a girl with pink hair wearing what could be called a succubus uniform, and a young boy wearing a black mask to cover his lower face and, even in his current state of mind Izuku could hardly believe it,_ _an All Might-haired hooded jacket._

 _Ignoring those three for a moment, Izuku put a hand on his dangling jaw and, with a loud_ _'_ _crack_ _'_ _, put it back in place in a second._ _This surprised even more the two younger newcomers while the one who had punched him seemed vaguely impressed. Raising one hand, he showed him his index finger and moved it to the right and to the left, slowly shaking his head and making a disapproving sound with his throat at each movement of his finger._ _After that, he turned to follow the wounded villain who was still trying to escape but the man behind him put a hand on his shoulder._

" _It looks like you have_ _n'_ _t yet grasped the concept, pretty torch." said the masked man strengthening the grip "I can not let you kill that man."_

" _H-Hey Knuckleduster, is it wise?" asked the younger boy looking at Izuku carefully "He is..."_

" _I know who he is, Crawler." hissed the man with a low growl "Precisely for this reason I can not let him kill that man. Thanks to him, in the last year more and more people have begun to hate and repudiate the vigilantes like us, as if we did not have enough problems before." he then looked at the pink haired girl "Pop Step, go and help that_ _guy_ _. Even if_ _he_ _deserves to be beaten up properly, this time only we will take_ _him_ _to the police."_

" _So you can also think with your mind and not just with your fists." said the girl with a little grin, missing the side glare of Izuku, before bending her legs slightly. Without putting too much strength, she jumped forward almost touching the ceiling of the warehouse but suddenly felt something wrap around her left ankle. In that brief instant of stalemate, she managed to look down, seeing_ _Knuckleduster_ _and_ _Crawler_ _'s shocked eyes, and the chain that had blocked her in Izuku's hand._

 _Sensing his intentions, Crawler tried to stop Izuku but he acted at that moment and with a strong jerk of his arm, he crashed Pop Step into the ground, cracking the concrete floor with her body._

 _While Crawler was paralyzed by the shock, Knuckleduster seemed to be enraged and with one hand, he turned Izuku and then tried to hit him again in the face but this time Izuku dodged at the last second to avoid his fist and attempted an attack on the belly of the man. The masked vigilante side-stepped, avoiding the flaming fist, and he managed to hit Izuku with a left hook, this time sending him several yards away._

" _Crawler!"_

" _I know!" without hesitating for a moment, Crawler put both hands on the ground and then activated his Quirk, shooting forward with incredible speed, aiming to hit Izuku who was already getting up, albeit slowly. His high-speed front kick was however blocked by the hand of Izuku, shocking Crawler with his strength and accuracy in predicting his attack. Looking at the young vigilante, Izuku growled and then lifted him, still holding Crawler by the foot, before slamming him against the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs._

 _Feeling heavy steps, Izuku looked at Knuckleduster who was running toward him and tried to hit him with a lash of his chain. The older vigilante seemed to anticipate his attack and took a step back but the length of the chain was still sufficient to reach him, opening a deep cut from the left jaw up to between the eyebrows. Cursing out loud because of the pain, the man did not miss the chance to grab the chain with both hands "I won't let you get away with this!"_

 _Growling again, Izuku jerked the chain, managing to drag the man towards him. Surprised by his physical strength, Knuckleduster couldn't block Izuku's left hand, which grabbed his face before slamming him against the ground. Seeing all three vigilantes on the ground, wounded and in pain but alive, Izuku looked around for the last villain, then noticing a trail of blood leading to the secondary exit of the warehouse._

 _Leaving the three vigilantes behind, Izuku followed the trail._

" _I...can not feel...my...my back..." groaned Crawler in a low tone._

" _Well...try to feel it again. We have to stop that walking torch." said Knuckleduster trying to stop the bleeding from his wound with a hand._

 _Near them, Pop Step managed to get on her knees, though with difficulty "We have to hurry up, or that man is as good as dead..."_

* * *

 _Outside the warehouse, Izuku had found the wounded man again. The villain was still crawling in search of safety and had arrived in a huge open space with warehouses on the right and the sea on the left, with several fishing boats docked. Without wasting any further time, Izuku advanced toward him but suddenly, something jumped out of the sea creating a large column of water before landing not far from him._

 _If Izuku had had his eyes he would have narrowed them at the sight of someone far more dangerous than the vigilantes or the already dead villains, because a few meters away from him, there was a tall man dressed in a plain white suit with armor on his chest and forearms, as well as an orca mask that also served as a cape._

 _Gang Orca, current number ten in the pro-hero ranking, looked at him with his large eyes surrounded by many red rings "So you are that Flaming Centaur that everyone talks about." he took a step forward, assuming a fighting pose "You have been unlucky to find yourself in this area with me on patrol. Your trail of victims ends here and now!"_

 _Without any warning, Gang Orca rushed forward with a speed unthinkable for a man of his size and hit Izuku in the chest with a fist, knocking him against the wall of a warehouse, creating a crater in the metal surface. Completely unharmed by the attack, Izuku jumped on the ground roaring to his new opponent and hurled his chain against Gang Orca but the hero grabbed it without problems and proceeded to pull Izuku to him with a strong tug. When he was close enough, Gang Orca made a very loud noise, similar to an orca sound, that crackled the surrounding ground, knocking Izuku to the ground. Believing he knocked him out with that last attack, Gang Orca approached Izuku but at the last moment he saw him rise with the flames around his skull more violent and strong than before._

 _With a roar, Izuku ran to him and tried to hit his opponent with a fist that was intercepted by a fist of Gang Orca. The impact generated a strong shock wave and further cracks formed in the ground, but neither gave way, on the contrary both tried to hit each other again and achieved the same result. After the second shot, Izuku tried again to attack him with the chain but Gang orca avoided it and grabbed Izuku by the collar of his jacket and then projected him back-first to the ground with all his strength, creating a deformation in the ground._

 _The hero then raised a fist to hit him but Izuku spat a large amount of flames from his mouth, striking point-blank Gang Orca who was forced to let him go to extinguish the flames. With a growl, the hero grabbed a bottle of water attached to his waist and spilled its contents on his head, so as to hydrate his body again. In the meantime, Izuku had got up again and, after a short crossing of glares, he blew another cone of flames while Gang Orca attacked again with his sound attack._

 _Flames and sound collided, generating a violent explosion that made the whole area tremble. When his attack ended, Gang Orca could not help but notice how the temperature around him had risen dangerously._

 _'Tch, it's like when I spar with Endeavor. Their flames are definitely too hot for me. If this fight goes on much longer, I will lose for sure.' thought Gang Orca before looking at the sea behind Izuku 'Perhaps this will work...'_

 _When Izuku took a step forward, Gang Orca ran to meet him as fast as he could and hit him with his shoulder, sending him fly into a fishing boat that swayed dangerously due to the impact. Not at all damaged by the attack, Izuku burned what was left of the cabin, just in time to see Gang Orca crashing into him with both hands closed like a mallet. The power of the blow that followed broke the boat in two, slowly making it sink, and sent Izuku to the bottom of the bay._

 _Gang Orca followed him easily, being able to swim freely like an orca, and when he saw him, he noticed that the flames had dimmed but not completely. Grasping him again by the lapel of his jacket, the hero hit Izuku with his sound attack and, since the sounds traveled faster in the water, the effect was even more devastating, destroying part of the seabed and shaking the sea above them._

 _Having no problem staying under water for a few minutes, Gang Orca let the sand raised by his attack settle again and when it did, he saw that the flames had completely died out, leaving only a skeleton. Now, since there wasn't a heart there could not be a heartbeat, however he noticed the fact that the skeleton was not falling apart like a normal skeleton, but for some reason it remained all in one piece._

 _'He must have lost consciousness or something like that.' thought Gang Orca preparing to swim to the surface but two skeletal hands suddenly grabbed his wrists. Caught off guard, he looked back at the skeleton only to be blinded by the flames that flared up again as a voice screamed " **Surprise!** "_

 _After that simple word, Gang Orca felt the temperature of the water rise more and more until it boiled and his screams were easily overwhelmed by the inhuman roar of Izuku._

* * *

 _The three vigilantes managed to arrive in the open space after recovering from the beating just suffered, but looking around they saw no one._

" _What the Hell happened here!" shouted Knuckleduster looking at the devastation caused by Izuku and Gang Orca._

" _Someone must have decided to face Flaming Centaur...and I think they did not hold back." said Pop Step with bandages around her head._

" _Um...guys? Why is the sea boiling?" asked Crawler and when the other two noticed that detail, a violent explosion threw a number of boats into the air, causing them to crash into the ground or even into the nearby warehouses. But what caught their attention was the person thrown into the sky along with the boats that crashed not far from them. In a few seconds the smoke cleared and Crawler paled to see Gang Orca on the ground with his chest exposed and covered with burns as well as his arms, the worst around his wrists._

" _What the-?!" Knuckleduster was interrupted when someone else jumped out of the water, landing near a destroyed boat. The three vigilantes immediately prepared for a new fight at the sight of Izuku but he ignored them, intent on observing Gang Orca as he stood up with difficulty._

 _Looking down, Izuku saw a large chain with an anchor sticking to it and, without any difficulty, began to spin the chain over his head, making it spin faster and faster._

 _Pop Step looked a bit confused "What is he doing...?"_

" _He wants to throw the anchor on that hero! Gang Orca! Move away!" shouted Crawler preparing to use his Quirk but at that moment, as expected, Izuku threw the anchor with all the chain on Gang Orca. The hero, having heard Crawler's screams, knew what was coming but his legs did not respond to his commands so he did the only thing that came to mind and raised his left arm to catch the anchor._

 _When his hand was able to grasp the large iron bullet, his entire body was pushed backwards for several meters, digging two furrows in the cement with his feet. However, in the silence of the night, the three vigilantes could distinctly hear the bloodcurdling noise of Gang Orca's bones breaking in his arm._

 _Without saying a word, the hero dropped the anchor to the ground as his arm fell helplessly along his body, showing large black bruises where his bones had broken. Izuku looked at him for a few seconds, thinking that the battle was over, but then he saw Gang Orca advancing towards him with blood dripping from his mouth and wounds._

" _What's the problem, Flaming Centaur?" asked Gang Orca staring at him without fear "I'm still here!"_

 _Izuku snarled at him but decided nevertheless to put an end to that fight, so he took with one hand the chain, not caring that the anchor was behind Orca Gang. Izuku had something else in mind._

 _When they were within fists reach, Gang Orca tried to hit him first but Izuku lowered himself and punched the hero in the stomach, causing him to vomit blood mixed with saliva. However, taking advantage of Izuku's position, Gang Orca hit him using his hand like a blade from above, managing to break his left collarbone, but it seemed not to disturb Izuku who hit him again in the stomach, making him finally fall to his knees._

 _Now ready to finish the fight, Izuku turned to the right and saw the three vigilantes running towards him but with a movement of his hand a wall of flames rose from the ground, blocking their advance. Focusing again on Gang Orca, Izuku was hit by a sound attack but this was weaker than the others and Izuku managed to counter it with a roar, creating even more flames around him, before wrapping the chain around Gang Orca's neck._

 _Gang Orca widened his eyes as Izuku began to tighten the grip with the chain, trying to strangle him. The hero grabbed the chain with his only good arm, trying to loosen his grip but he knew immediately that there was no way to prevail against the strength of Izuku, especially in his conditions, so Gang Orca grabbed his flaming skull, ignoring the flames that burned his skin, and began to tighten more and more, opening some cracks in the bones._

 _Izuku ignored Gang Orca's vain attempt to stop him and put more pressure around his neck. The hero did the same, trying to destroy his skull but with the passing of the seconds his strength left him and finally his hand fell helpless along his body while his eyes closed slowly with the image of a flaming skull burned into his mind._

 _It was at that moment that something seemed to snap inside Izuku._

 _The flames around him seemed to fade and the grip on the chain became weaker, letting Gang Orca fall to the ground. Behind the wall of fire, the three vigilantes saw Izuku raise the hands in front of his face before looking at the downed form of the hero._

" _ **What...I have done...?** " Izuku whispered before roaring toward the sky with new flames dancing around him._

" _H-Hey...what's going on with him?" asked Pop Step frightened by the sudden roar._

" _I don't know but we need to-!" said Knuckleduster before noticing the wounded villain behind some crates while trying to get away after miraculously succeeding in avoiding the fight._

 _Unfortunately for him, Knuckleduster was not the only one to notice his retreating form._

" _ **YOU!** "_

 _Trembling upon hearing that voice, the man turned for a moment and saw Izuku focused exclusively on him. That gave him the energy he needed to limp faster but Izuku had now reached the limit of his patience. Seeing an underwater rifle among the remains of a wrecked boat, Izuku took it with his right hand and then aimed at the man's back._

" _What his he doing? That rifle has no darts!" said Crawler with confused eyes but then, much to their horror, the underwater rifle was enveloped in flames, changing shape, and assuming a more demonic appearance with the end of the barrel that had assumed the shape of a skull. Before they could scream anything, Izuku pulled the trigger and a dart made entirely of flames darted through the air, hitting the wounded man in the middle of his back._

 _He didn't even have the time to scream that his whole body was reduced to ashes._

 _The three vigilantes had no idea what to do now that the villain was dead but Gang Orca was still on the ground, too close to Izuku for their tastes, but all three of them were forced to jump to the side to avoid being hit by Izuku's motorcycle that passed easily in the middle of the wall of flames, dissipating it._

 _They saw the bike stop near Izuku who put his new weapon in a holster just created on the side of his flaming vehicle. Knuckleduster gritted his teeth, getting up "What are you?" seeing that Izuku had ignored him, mounting on his bike, he shouted "What the Hell are you?!"_

 _After a few seconds of silence, Izuku turned his head towards them, thus showing the cracks in his skull that were already closing up. The last of them went from his left socket down to his jaw and, closing up, seemed to follow the trace of a tear._

" _ **I...don't know...** "_

 _Those words seemed to stun the three vigilantes who could only watch as Izuku drove his bike away from them, fading into the darkness of the night._

 _ **End Flash-back**_

* * *

All Might remained silent, carefully watching the young boy sitting on the ground a few yards away from him. During his story, Izuku had transformed into his human form and as the story progressed, the hero had seen different emotions on his face, mainly shame, anger and...fear.

"Now I remember...when I was not in town I received a call from the government. Apparently Gang Orca had been hospitalized and his condition was critical. Multiple fractures throughout the body, third-degree burns on the chest and arms, head injury, damaged throat and so on...they told me that maybe his career was over but he recovered within a few months and continued with his job as a pro-hero...but since that day he has always avoided the port." said All Might while looking at the sky "So it was you..."

"Yes. Do you understand now why I can not be a hero, All Might? I have no right to be a hero. For two years I killed villains or sent them into a coma, I almost killed one of the best heroes in Japan and I also wounded those vigilantes who wanted to stop me from killing..." said Izuku looking down "How can I even hope to become a hero when my own Quirk seems to have been created to kill?! That's why I do not want to be a hero. The heroes rescue people and imprison the villains, while I ignore the innocent and kill the criminals..."

For a few seconds, the two remained silent. All Might, despite his past experiences, did not know what to say. He knew that Izuku was basically right. After all he had fought a hero, risking to kill him but, surprisingly, Gang Orca had not held him responsible, saying that it was he who attacked Izuku first, and the three vigilantes had said the same so, as regards that particular episode, Izuku had acted in self-defense, however this could not erase the trail of death he had left behind.

"This is troublesome..." murmured the blond hero "Technically you are not labeled as a criminal but as a vigilante."

"I know." nodded Izuku without looking at him.

"How? Certain data are classified and not public."

This time Izuku looked at him with a little smile "We have a mutual friend, the detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. He is one of the three people who knows the whole story, the others are you and my guardian."

All Might was genuinely surprised "He is aware of your Quirk? Then why...?"

"When he was still a policeman, he took me to the hospital during the day of the terrorist attack and from then on he became a family friend. When I told him the whole story he proposed to take me to the police station to be able to file the case of Flaming Centaur as an 'Isolated Case of Loss of Control', but Johnny opposed him and in the end they both promised to keep my identity a secret. So I would like to ask you not to get angry with him for not telling you. I know you're both great friends..." explained Izuku earning a loud sigh from All Might.

"All right, all right, I will not tell him anything." said the hero "Returning to the initial topic, you are not a villain...not officially at least even if I fear that many people call you that but you know, not by chance there are unofficial rankings managed by fans."

Izuku arched and eyebrow "You mean like the 'Looks most like a villain' ranking?"

"Indeed. There are dozens of heroes in the world who are not welcome, but in spite of this they are heroes who never hurt anyone innocent, more or less. Endeavor is a clear example, although he's the number two, he is not well seen by civilians." explained All Might "The same could be said of you, in a sense. You are trying to master your Quirk to avoid killing again. That is a behavior that can only be associated to a hero or a vigilante who is extremely loyal to his vocation of doing justice on his own without killing anyone. Today while the other heroes were undecided on what to do, you acted to save that student. Probably, if I had not intervened, you would have burned that slime with your flames...but the fact remains that _you_ have acted, not _them_. A person who doesn't want to be a hero wouldn't have moved a finger."

Izuku looked at the ground again "Even if it were as you say, my 'face' is well known. Thanks to Naomasa, the police never come to investigate in my area but if if I were to become a hero, the situation could get worse and I do not want Johnny to be affected because of me."

All Might couldn't help but show a little grin "See? Even if you do not realize it, you think of others and their safety but you have a point here. After two years of activity, all the heroes are aware of your existence and practically all the civilians have heard something about you, so a possible career as a hero is definitely full of difficulties, but what would you do if I told you that there is a way around this problem?" seeing the confused look on Izuku's face, All Might added "Kid, there is a way for you to become a hero. When I stopped you after the accident with the slime, I wanted to talk to you because I saw something more than a simple hero in you and, now that I know your whole story, I am even more convinced of my choice. You wanted to be a hero and now you have a huge power inside of you, but just because of that power, you decided to give up your dream, trying to control your Quirk, when other people, in your place, would have used that power to gain fame in a short time, not caring for the victims on their way. Yours is a behavior worthy of a hero!"

All Might stood up, dusting his pants "Kid, there is something I have to tell you and it's important but first I want to see your determination to follow your dreams. There is a famous beach that has become a dump not far from here. In two days, at six in the morning, get there if you still want to become a hero. I could have a solution for you and your problem." and with that, he left, leaving behind a confused Izuku who could only watch the sky.

' _The determination to follow my dreams huh?_ '

Not far from the building site, All Might started a call from his cell phone. After a few seconds, someone answered "Nezu? It's me. I need to ask you a favor..."

* * *

[ **Dump/Beach** / _Two days later_ ]

All Might was sitting on a refrigerator, looking absently at his cell phone. Six o'clock in the morning and no trace of Izuku. He sighed slightly 'Maybe that Quirk has really conditioned him not to become a hero...such a shame, he seemed more than suitable to become-" he was interrupted by the roar of an engine not far away and, turning slightly, he smiled as he saw Izuku park his bike before reaching him.

"Glad to see you here, young Midoriya." said All Might using his family name.

"You said you could have a solution for my problem...I wanted to know what it was." said Izuku looking at his idol "I do not want to become a hero, All Might. My past would not allow me to enjoy my life if I could succeed in becoming one."

"This could be true but it happens that I can give you a second chance." said All Might confusing Izuku "You've probably already heard of the U.A. High School."

"The prestigious academy for heroes? Difficult not to know it when it is not far from my house." said Izuku with a nod.

"Good. You must know that its principal is a dear friend of mine. I explained some things to him the other day, and before you get agitated, I just told him I know Flaming Centaur. He does not know anything about Izuku Midoriya, your guardian or your contract." explained All Might "I asked him for a favor, that is, that you could enroll in his academy so as to become a hero."

Izuku widened his eyes in surprise "W-What?! But...I do not want to become a hero! And how can I go to Japan's most prestigious academy when I'm labeled as a vigilante?!"

"Before exposing my idea, I have to explain something about me. Young Midoriya, what do you think my Quirk is?" asked All Might with a serious look.

Izuku raised an eyebrow while holding his chin with a hand "Well...I have followed your main website for many years and among all the ideas that the fans have exposed, something like 'Enhanced Body' or 'Super Strength' remain the most likely solutions."

"They are both wrong." said All Might with a calm voice "My Quirk is not something so simple. It is the Quirk to transfer your own power to another person and it's known as One For All!"

"One...For All?" repeated Izuku looking at his idol with a mix of awe and confusion.

"Yes. You see, the man who gave you your Quirk was right, there are different ways to get a Quirk. I, just like you, was Quirkless but then, the one who became my teacher decided to transfer into me One For All, a Quirk that allows the owner to use a stockpiled power in his or her body and to transfer this Quirk to someone else." explained All Might "Right now, I am the eighth owner of One For All and for years I have sought a worthy successor who could inherit this Quirk from me, and here is where you come into play, young Midoriya."

"M-Me?!" shouted Izuku with wide eyes, not expecting something like that.

"Yes! As I said, you have shown to me that you have the heart of a true hero. I have seen many talents during my hero career but few have lived up to my expectations and none of them has ever shown that spark needed to convince me, until I met you, a young boy with an enormous power but willing to give up his dream in order not to harm someone who is innocent." said All Might opening his arms "Young Midoriya, despite your past, the horrors you saw, the pain you suffered, the sacrifices you made...your heart never stopped beating for justice. I know hundreds of people who would have fallen into the darkness if they got a power like yours, but you did not! You resisted the darkness within you and tried to control it! For what?! To help people in need! And that, young Midoriya...!"

All might jumped down changing into his hero form before crushing the fridge with one hand, showing the rising sun.

" **That's what a hero would do, a real hero! Not driven by success, by money, by fame but by the need to help!** " All Might shouted at Izuku " **Now, as I have already told you, you have shown that you have the heart of a hero, but your mind does not allow you to accept it, because of your Quirk!** **In you I see the perfect successor for One For All but I'm sure that, right now, you would never accept such power and that's why I want to help you with your current Quirk!** "

"You want to help...me?" asked Izuku with surprised eyes.

" **Of course! You are not in danger but you still need help to master your power, and helping a person in need is what the heroes do!** " shouted All Might before returning to his skinny form "Young Midoriya, I can not force you to do anything, I could never do something like that, but I still want to help you, and if I'm not enough, U.A. High School is the best academy for a reason and there are teachers on purpose to teach you how to master your Quirk."

Izuku looked at him for a couple of seconds. Several emotions passed through his face, but in the end he asked a simple question "Why?"

All Might seemed surprised by the question "Why what?"

"Why are you doing all this for me?! I know heroes always help people in need, but I'm just an ordinary boy! There are God-only-knows how many people out there that the other day would have acted just like me, probably all worthy of your power!" said Izuku with confusion in his eyes "As far as my power is extremely dangerous, there are other people out there who may need your help! So why me?!"

After a moment of silence, All Might sighed "I will not lie to you, the reason why I feel compelled to help you, besides seeing a successor for One For All, is that you remind me of myself when I was your age. As I said, I was Quirkless, but the woman who became my teacher saw something in me and helped me get stronger so that I became what I wanted. The Symbol of Peace."

Izuku looked into his eyes, noting the seriousness behind every single word All Might had just spoken. Sighing, he shook his head "All Might, I can not inherit that power. You can say the opposite but I'm not worthy, I can not become the new Symbol of Peace or something like that...not after what happened. I'm sorry."

"I see..." murmured All might with a sigh "Well, I won't force you to change your mind but my proposal to help you remains valid. The entrance exam will be held in ten months and by then I am sure we will have made some progress."

"You talk about it as if I wanted to take part in that exam..." noted Izuku with a raised eyebrow.

"I know what you think about it but you have to know that every year the judges of that exam are all heroes, many of whom work at U.A. as teachers. The principal will put a good word to let you in and you can show them, as well as to the other examinees, that you are not a monster like they believe." explained All Might raising a finger at every point "The judges look at everything during the exam and, whether you pass it or not, they will report what they have seen to the other heroes and if you make a good impression, I am sure that the public opinion about you will change. At least you will show them that you are willing to help by trying to become a hero. It's a win-win situation for you."

Izuku seemed to think about it. Indeed, the situation was very advantageous for him. All Might would help him master his Quirk, he still could not believe it, and during the exam he could show that he was not just a killer, even if he failed the exam.

' _No, I will fail the exam. Despite All Might's words, I can not ignore what I did. I will treasure his teachings but I will deliberately fail the exam, after all it is just about destroying robots from what I have heard. I'll just destroy a few of them so that I will not be admitted with my score._ ' thought Izuku with a nod before looking at his idol "I accept."

All Might grinned at him "Very well, in this case it will be better to roll up your sleeves! We have ten long months ahead of us!"

* * *

[ **Johnny's House** / _T_ _en months_ _later_ _(day of the entrance exam)_ ]

"You could always become a model for some stylist or painter." said Johnny looking at Izuku who interrupted his breakfast to glare at him "Hey you always need to have a plan B, no? And your body would be perfect for that role, I already imagine the hosts of girls ready to jump at you as soon as you leave home!"

Izuku shook his head with a sigh. Unfortunately Johnny was right. During the last few months, Izuku had trained day after day with All Might to improve his body and the control over his Quirk. Both had given excellent results, perhaps a little too much, seeing that now Izuku had a physique worthy of a professional swimmer, if not even better, while the control over his Quirk was almost perfect. Unfortunately, he was not yet able to block it at night when the evil reached certain levels but in the last ten months he had killed only a dozen people. Excellent results, without any doubt.

Sighing again, he put the dirty dishes in the sink and went to prepare his uniform for the exam, a simple combination of black leather jacket and trousers with an inverted U on the chest, and the addition of his favorite red shoes and a pair of black fingerless gloves.

Placing the 'uniform' in the backpack, Izuku could not help but feel nervous. Since that night when he had transformed for the first time, he had always tried to keep his identity secret. He did not know how people would react to his flaming appearance so it was better to have an emergency plan, therefore, on the spot, he placed a black mask over his face that covered from the nose down and a sleeveless hoodie to put under his jacket, with the hood lowered on the face.

After a brief inventory, Izuku closed his backpack and left the house saying goodbye to Johnny and his mother's photo before mounting on his bike. With a violent roar, the engine started and Izuku led the bike toward the U.A. High School. Parking the motorbike near the entrance, he seemed to attract many incredulous looks, probably due to his means of transport.

' _Right, practically all of them are younger than me so they do not have a driver's license yet._ ' thought Izuku looking around.

"Hey, out of the way!" shouted an all too familiar voice behind him "Move away or do you want to die?"

"Bakugo." murmured Izuku seeing the blond walk towards the entrance, forcing other people to move, even though many of those present recognized Bakugo because of the incident with the slime. Fortunately, that day Izuku had not been seen by the cameras. Shaking his head, he took a step forward when someone slammed against him from behind, surprising him.

"OW! I'm sorry!" said a female voice "I wasn't looking!"

Looking back, he saw a brown-haired girl with eyes of the same color as she rubbed her nose, apologizing at the same time.

"No need to apologize, nothing happened." said Izuku with a little smile hidden by his mask "Are you here for the entrance exam too?"

"Uh? O-oh yeah!" said the girl with a nod "Sorry again for the trouble, but I was definitely nervous and I did not see you." before thinking ' _And this speaks volumes of how much I am nervous...he is quite tall..._ '

"I see, well the opening ceremony is about to start so it will be better to enter. Good luck for the exam." said Izuku with a nod before walking inside the building. Following the crowd, he reached a huge hall with hundreds of seats. Sitting in one of the central rows, Izuku half-closed his eyes, waiting for the beginning, which arrived too soon. And far too loudly.

"WELCOME EVERYONE TO MY LIVE SHOW!" shouted a man with sunglasses and blond hair "NOW I WILL GIVE YOU A QUICK EXPLANATION OF HOW THIS EXAM WILL TAKE PLACE! ARE YOU READY?!"

' _So Present Mic works here too? I guess all the teachers in this school are pro-heroes._ ' thought Izuku listening to the rules but then, a guy with glasses stood up saying that, on a handout, four types of villains were indicated and not three as Present Mic had just said, then he turned to Izuku.

"Moreover, what's with you? Yeah, you, curly-haired boy!" said the black haired boy pointing at him "I saw you coming with a bike before and that means you're older than us but you're taking part in the exam! Does it mean that you have been rejected once and you still want to take part in the exam? If you think this school is a way to pass the time then you should withdraw immediately!"

Izuku glared at him without speaking ' _Y_ _ou're lucky I'm not here to cause problems_ _or you'd be already on the ground with your hair completely burned..._ '

After that little incident, Present Mic explained the last rules of the test including the enemies that were worth zero points, after which all the examinees were accompanied inside of the changing rooms where they could wear their uniforms and equipment, before being divided on several buses that brought them near their assigned site, which looked like a small town.

' _Looks like everyone is quite calm._ ' thought Izuku making sure the mask and the hood were covering his face well. Looking around, he saw the girl who had bumped into him shortly before, intent on taking deep breaths ' _Well maybe not everyone..._ '

"I see what your intentions are, you're trying to figure out who has the worst concentration among us, is not it? I would like to know who you are. You're not here to obstruct our exam, are you? I already told you, just because you lost a year you do not have to think about being advantaged or favored in this exam." said the bespectacled boy from before with a glare while the people close to them began to murmur, saying that Izuku, being someone who had lost a year, did not have to be very strong, therefore one less rival in the exam.

' _So they think they are lucky to have me as an opponent, huh?_ ' thought Izuku with a sigh ' _Well, time to show them why they're wrong._ ' and in a matter of seconds, he was engulfed in flames, which burned his flesh and skin, leaving only a flaming skeleton who, after lowering his mask and hood, looked at the now pale boy in front of him.

Without thinking, he whistled with two fingers between his teeth and, in a few seconds, all the examinees could hear the roar of an engine approaching the gate from which they had just arrived. Much to their horror and fear, they saw a flaming bike approaching their group, forcing them to move, before stopping next to Izuku, who mounted on his bike with surgical calm before looking back at his 'opponents'.

" **Do you still think you are lucky to have me as an opponent?** " asked Izuku and no one had the courage to answer him until the bespectacled boy could stutter "F-Flaming Centaur...?!"

" **In the bones.** " nodded Izuku before hearing the voice of Present Mic shouting "Aaaaaaaaaaand START!"

While everyone else stood back to look at the tower from which Present Mic had screamed, Izuku accelerated toward the center of the city grabbing his underwater rifle he had acquired during his fight with Gang Orca. Firing three darts of fire, he destroyed three robots worth a point and then moved on to the robots that were worth more but in a few moments he was reached by the other examinees, forcing him to stop for a moment at twenty-two points.

' _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **d say that this is enough. Now I just have to look for a place to wait. It would be better to go to less crowded areas.**_ ' thought Izuku looking around but then he spotted a robot destroyed but not irreparably. Not having anything better to do, he approached the robot, starting to study its engine...

* * *

[ **Chamber of judges** / _At the same time_ ]

"So...that's the infamous Flaming Centaur?" asked a voice looking at a screen "He does not seem so dangerous."

To his right, another hero snorted "Go read what he did to Gang Orca and then we'll talk about it."

"Wait...is he studying that robot's engine? Does he know he's only four minutes left?" asked an amused female voice while, sitting on the left, a strange white animal looked at All Might in his skinny form.

"Are you sure about this, Toshinori?"

"Yes." nodded the blond hero looking at the screen showing Izuku "I'm sure his hero spirit will surface during this exam."

"Well the time is almost up, so it's time to start the real test." said another hero before pressing a red button, triggering a small series of explosions in the center of the fake city.

* * *

[ **Fake City (Izuku's Exam Site)** / _Shortly before_ ]

A powerful sneeze sounded in the air and Izuku inadvertently spat a fireball that melted the robot he was studying.

' _ **Damn it...someone is talking about me somewhere...**_ ' though Izuku with a low growl ' _ **I bet it's Johnny...**_ '

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a series of explosions not far away and, before he could understand what was happening, he found himself in the shadow of something very big. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a huge robot intent on destroying a building with one hand and Present Mic's words came back to him.

' _ **That thing is the zero point villain?**_ ' thought Izuku looking at the devastation caused by the robot when dozens of examiners ran past him, trying to get as far away as possible from the giant gimmick ' _ **They certainly know how to scare people.**_ _ **Better to follow the crowd since destroying that robot does not make any sense as it is worth zero points.**_ ' but after mounting on his motorcycle, he heard a faint moan of pain behind him. Looking back, he saw the brown-haired girl from before on the ground with one foot blocked by some rubble.

' _ **Why is she not using her Quirk? From what I've seen she can undo the gravity of the objects she touches...**_ ' thought Izuku then noticing the sick color of her face ' _ **Is she sick? No...before the exam she was fine. It must be a side effect of her Quirk.**_ '

Looking absently at the other examinees, Izuku saw that none of them had noticed the girl in trouble and that they were all running away, including that odious bespectacled boy. His hands tightened slowly on the handlebars of his motorcycle, which seemed to react to his emotions, emitting a noise like a demonic snarl from the engine.

' _ **They want to become heroes but at the sight of a villain stronger than others they run away like cowards and nobody tries to help that girl.**_ ' Izuku thought with his flames slowly melting the asphalt around him ' _ **Pathetic...**_ '

Feeling the ground shake, Izuku returned his attention to the robot that was advancing towards him, probably to chase the fugitives, but on its way there was the girl still stuck. With a loud snort, he turned the bike and headed for the girl, grabbing the chain he held around his chest. When he was close enough, Izuku whipped his chain and hit the debris that were blocking the girl, freeing her instantly. Before she could figure out what had happened, he let go of his chain, which wrapped around his chest again, and grabbed her by the collar of her sweatshirt with his free hand.

" **Whatever happens, do not use your Quirk!** " he shouted before placing the girl on the saddle of his bike, which accelerated by itself, moving away from the robot that had already raised a hand to crush them.

" **Well, time to get to work.** " Izuku said to himself before being crushed by the enormous hand of the robot. The impact made the ground tremble, raising a huge cloud of smoke but that did not deceive the robot, to be precise it didn't deceive the different sensors placed in its body as well as the thermal vision implemented in its eyes and the data it was receiving were, in human terms, definitely alarming.

Before the robot could react, its right hand exploded in a ball of fire that consumed its arm up to the middle of the forearm. Quickly lifting what was left of its limb to contain the damage, the robot did not notice a chain stuck in the circuits of the arm and, when it had completely raised the arm, Izuku was practically thrown into the air above the robot. Letting go of the chain so as not to break it, Izuku adjusted his position in mid-air and looked down, precisely at the robot's head.

When his ascending motion ended, Izuku began to fall toward the robot, creating a large amount of flames that formed a spiral around his right arm. If he still had lips, Izuku probably would have grinned at the idea he had in mind.

During the ten months of training with All Might, the hero had explained some things about One For All and the attacks that he and some of his predecessors had created. Izuku had not inherited that Quirk but that had not prevented him to take inspiration for a personal attack. His own personal way to thank the hero for his help.

When the impact with the robot's head was imminent, Izuku charged his right arm backwards, focusing all the flames in his fist. When Izuku was a few inches from his target, he hit the robot with all his strength shouting " **HELL SMASH!** "

Upon impact, Izuku released all of his flames inside the robot whose body quickly changed from dark green to brilliant white, before being destroyed by a series of violent explosions from the inside with a final explosion that disintegrated it completely but by then Izuku had already jumped down, landing without problems on the ground, creating several cracks around him.

As what was left of the robot fell to the ground, Izuku heard the roar of his bike coming closer. Looking in that direction, he saw it with the girl still on the saddle and, if possible, her face had become even greener than before. With a low chuckle, he walked toward the bike until he stood beside it, ignoring Present Mic's voice as he screamed that time was up.

" **Looks like it's really over.** " said Izuku before stepping aside to allow the girl to run behind a piece of cement and throw up her breakfast and who knows what else. Shaking his head, Izuku adjusted his mask and hood before returning to his human form.

Approaching the girl who had just finished throwing up, he put a hand on her shoulder "Are you okay?"

"U-Uh?" the girl looked at him in confusion before nodding slowly "Y-Yeah! T-Thanks for saving me...uh...err...Flaming Centaur?"

Izuku chuckled a bit "If you want to call me like that. Now that the exam is over you should go to some doctor, better be sure." and whit that, we walked toward his bike before hearing "I'm sorry!"

Looking back at the girl, he arched an eyebrow "What?"

"I'm sorry! If it was not for me, you could have accumulated more points!" said the girl with a worried face but Izuku waved his hand while shaking his head.

"No problem. I'm not angry and failing this exam will not change my life, so you do not have to worry." explained the young boy before mounting on his bike "If you will be admitted, good luck with your career."

Before she could say anything else, Izuku put his hands on the handlebars of the bike and left a few moments later, while many of the examinees were coming to the scene to see what had happened. Approaching the gate from which he had arrived, he could not hold back another sneeze.

' _Damn it...I wonder who is talking about me...if it's still Johnny this is the right time to burn his chopper's wheels._ ' thought Izuku without being able to know that, in a room at the U.A., a series of heroes were intent on cheering with wide smiles on their lips, especially All Might.

* * *

[ **Johnny's House** / _T_ _wo days_ _later_ ]

Izuku was intent on arranging the drive chain of his Kawasaki when the garage door suddenly opened and a grinning Johnny appeared before him, holding a white envelope between two fingers.

"There is a letter for you, from the U.A. High School." said Johnny handing the envelope to Izuku "I wonder what it could be."

"Probably a 'thank you' letter for participating in their exam or something like that." guessed Izuku catching the letter before walking toward his room. His bike was perfect now so he could go take a shower but first he wanted at least to see what was written in the letter.

' _All Might has not contacted me during these days. He is probably not happy with my performance during the exam. I hope he is not offended._ ' thought Izuku before opening the envelope, finding, in addition to a sheet of paper, a strange metal disk. That small object fell on his desk and a holographic screen materialized in front of him, with a close-up, maybe too close, of All Might, who was smiling at the camera.

" **Am I on screen!?** " shouted the man as the camera moved away to show the hero in full " **It took some time to jump through some hoops and get this done, so for not able to contact you sooner...that's my bad!** " after a bow, he looked back at the camera " **I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other since it's been decided that I'll work at the U.A.!** "

' _He'll be a teacher?_ ' thought Izuku before sweatdroping since All Might was talking about post production with the operator of the camera.

" **Back to the main topic, you behaved very well during the practical test but with a score of only twenty-two points, you have obviously failed the exam.** " said All Might with a serious voice. Izuku sighed being aware of that fact but hearing someone like All Might say it was not pleasant.

" **But wait, there's more!** "

Confused by those words, Izuku looked at the holographic screen as All Might showed another screen at his side. On that screen appeared the brown-haired girl that Izuku had saved from the giant robot.

" _Uh...excuse me, hi!_ "

" **As soon as the exam ended, this little lady petitioned us directly! Why, you ask?! Here's why!** "

" _Uh...sorry to bother you, but do you know the boy with the mask, the hoodie and the motorbike? Uh...I mean...Flaming Centaur?_ " the girl asked Present Mic who was in front of her.

' _That's me...no surprise here._ ' thought Izuku with a raised eyebrow, not understanding why All Might was showing this to him.

" _Would it be possible to share some_ _of my_ _points_ _with him?_ " she asked shocking Izuku to the core.

' _Wait a minute..._ '

" _He saved me and failed to earn more points!_ "

' _Oh no...don't tell me..._ '

" _Please, at least give him the points he lost because of me!_ "

' _No no no no...!_ '

" **Much more so than any Quirk...** " said All Might looking again at the camera " **It was your actions that touched the hearts of the judges.** " he then crossed his forearms in front of him " **And they were looking at more than just smashing some robots for points!** "

Having now guessed the meaning of the exam, Izuku was more than slightly pale.

" **Did you think there would be an academy for heroes that rejects an entrant for doing the right thing?! Perish the thought!** " he smiled even more at the camera " **Think it's cheesy?! Fine by me! It's in the job description! Laying your life on the line to do cheesy stuff!** " All Might pointed at another screen showing a ranking with three columns: Name of the examinee, Villain points and Rescue points.

Izuku paled even more in seeing his name at the top of the ranking, with twenty-two Villain points and sixty Rescue points, for a total of eighty-two points.

" **Congratulations, young Midoriya. You passed!** " said All Might with a nod and the ever-present smile on his face " **From now on, U.A. will be your Hero Academia!** " and with that, the projector went off by itself.

After a full minute of silence, Izuku slammed the head on his desk with a loud groan "This is not possible..."

"Ssssso..." said an amused voice at his left. Izuku side-glared at the intruder, his guardian Johnny who was looking at him with a little grin and two bottles in his hands "Champagne to celebrate your entry to the U.A. or sakè...for the same reason, only in a negative way?"

Izuku glared at him for several seconds "I'll burn the wheels of your customized Harley-Davidson Panhead..."

Johnny paled instantly "You would not dare..."

Izuku said nothing and went to the bathroom.

"Izuku? Izuku?! Answer me! You wouldn't dare, right?! RIGHT?! IZUKU!"

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3: CLASSMATES AND TEST**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the second chapter! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know!**

 **This corner of the author will be very long so take a snack and let's begin!**

 **First of all, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I would like to thank everyone for the enormous support you have given to this story! I never thought it would be so successful and that makes me really happy! I wanted to update the first of the year but between one thing and another I did not have more time to write.**

 **Now, to move on to things related to this story! Izuku will officially join the U.A. as a student but I want to appease the souls of those who wanted something different from the original plot! I will follow the manga only for some story arcs, not all of them, because many times I will 'move' into the Marvel universe and here I would like to point out how some times I wrote 'Japan' and not 'world', since many parts of this story will be set in America but also in the rest of the world! So do not worry, the plot will change a lot from the original and Izuku will not change his mind simply by deciding to want to become a hero.**

 **Izuku has not inherited One For All now for several reasons but do not worry, the situation will change continuously in the future!**

 **Note minor, Izuku's clothes during the exam are those of Ghost Rider in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but with the mask and the hoodie.**

 **Another minor note, I do not know if Gang Orca can swim freely in the water but since he has the powers of an orca, I gave him that ability.**

 **For those who have not recognized them, Knuckleduster, The Crawler and Pop Step are characters from "Vigilante – My Hero Academia: Illegals" also known as "My Hero Academia: Vigilantes".**

 **And now let's move on to the topic that, most likely, will make me lose dozens of readers...but unfortunately that's how it goes. I'm talking about the topic: pairing. After receiving several reviews and private messages, I made the decision that this story will NOT be a harem fic. What made me decide definitively was the hero I'm using, Ghost Rider. He is not the type to have a harem. True, Izuku is not like Marvel's Ghost Rider, but here we are talking about a kind of merging between them, so he will not be of the right mindset for a harem, since he is not like Spider-man, Deadpool or other heroes. So I repeat, there will be no harem here. I am sorry for those who voted and hoped for a harem but unfortunately this is my decision and, if you continue to follow this fic, feel free to vote again.**

 **Always talking about the pairing for Izuku, here is the current ranking after entering all votes from reviews and private messages!**

 **\- Izuku x Jiro Kyoka (14 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Mina (13 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Momo (10 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Mei (3 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Nejire (2 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Toga (1 vote)**

 **\- Izuku x Kendou (1 vote)**

 **\- Izuku x Fuyumi Todoroki (1 vote)**

 **And that's it! Remember to propose your preferences (up to a maximum of three if you are undecided)! Now I will go to respond to the reviews (it will be a long thing) but I decided that I will enclose many reviews with common answers!**

 **REPLIES TO REVIEWS**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Izuku x ...": we will see at the end who will win and sorry if your vote was for the harem!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Please update!" or "More!" or anything like that: here's more!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "I like this story!" or something like that: glad to hear that!**

* * *

 **Now, the single reviews:**

 **\- DCMatriXHunter: Indeed he is! That's also why he's one of my favorite Marvel heroes!**

 **\- Lightningblade49: Do not worry, his hero path will not be easy! The slime was veeery lucky.**

 **\- Dragontitan: As I said, do not lose hope for One For All!**

 **\- HotSoup2017: Glad that my choices have been appreciated! As for the green flames, I had already decided something about it but you will have to wait a while to see what I mean!**

 **\- SSJ-Jolt: sorry to hear that, but English is not my mother language so I can not see what's good or not.**

 **\- Vedahzii: I know what you mean, but Izuku is...let's say weaker than his original counterpart. He has a heroic spirit but weaker after what happened with his mother etc...**

 **\- Hyakki Yako: Izuku still does not have a mentality like The Punisher so he does not have that impulse to hunt down criminals, he is more like led by his Quirk.**

 **\- dunno: Glad to hear that! I'd say that their relationship is almost inexistent since they have never interacted as in the manga.**

 **\- 1stGenAgainstAllOdds: it's a reference from Youtube but I can't say from which channel. Anyway, I'll probably add demons even if I don't know when and I'll use for sure those powers and many others. On the note of pregnancy, Johnny had more knowledge about what had happened to him. Izuku still does not have that mentality so right now he would not go crazy with the idea of becoming a father (surely he would not even be calm).**

 **\- Guest: I'll definitely give him some new powers unique to him.**

 **\- chimchar14: glad that you like it and you'll see the new Izuku in the next chapters!**

 **\- MIKE202303: Well here I think you're exaggerating but I'm glad you like the way I write and I hope you will continue to follow this story!**

 **\- Anc1enT: I could not create a better one than Flaming Centaur, sorry about that ahah**

 **\- Feel The Void: for knowledge of bikes I should thank a friend of mine who participates in official motorcycle races. For another character base on another anti-hero I don't know if I'll do something like that but we'll see.**

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! The real end of the chapter! Hope to see you again in the next chapter!**

 **See you around and have a good day/night!**


	4. Classmates and Test

**CHAPTER 3: CLASSMATES AND TEST**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

"You knew it..."

All Might looked from the ocean to the boy next to him, showing an amused smile "I knew what?"

"That the exam was not just about smashing those robots..." said Izuku with a half-glare "I had no chance to fail the exam."

"I told you this ten months ago, right?" replied All Might without losing his smile "During these exams, the judges look at everything, and all of them should have been blind so as not to see your rescue of the young Uraraka."

Izuku stared at him for several seconds "Fine...what now?"

"Now? Well, you will begin your life as a student at U.A." said All Might "However you still have a few weeks before the start of the academic year. You should try to relax in the meantime."

The young boy hummed a second before asking "What about my identity? During the exam I had my face covered when I was in my normal form but I can not stay that way for the whole duration of the academy."

"No need to worry about that." All Might reassured him "In a few days you will receive documents to fill out. Among them there is one concerning the privacy of each student. By signing that document you agree not to disclose personal information regarding teachers, your classmates and obviously other students. Obviously you will be free to give your permission to disclose them but, without your consent, no one at U.A. can talk about your true identity. In case someone breaks that rule, he or she will be expelled or fired from the academy and placed under house arrest for twenty years. In your case, if you come to school by motorbike, you will be given a special parking from where you can reach the school without being seen."

"I see..." said Izuku with a sigh "Well...at least there is a positive side in all this."

' _Only one...?_ ' thought All Might before asking "And that would be...?"

Izuku looked at him with an emotionless face "I will be able to choose a name that I want, not one that has been given to me by journalists."

All Might had to snort at that "I can understand. Flaming Centaur isn't exactly catchy. Do you already have something in mind?"

"Right now, no. Something will come to mind when the time comes." shrugged Izuku before walking toward his bike "I'll see you at the academy then, All Might."

"Indeed you will. Good night young Midoriya, and good luck with the academy." said All Might looking at the younger boy's back. His smile seemed to expand at the thought of the class in which Izuku had been placed. After a short chuckle, he returned to look at the ocean "I'm sure this new generation of heroes will live up to their expectations. I can feel it."

* * *

[ **U.A. High School** / _T_ _hree weeks later_ ]

' _1-A...1-A...1-A...this place is huge, they should put up signs to help the freshmen..._ ' thought Izuku walking in a hallway. The fact of being late due to some complications with the parking for his bike had not put him in a good mood and now he could not even find the right class. What a nice way to start his first day at U.A.

Turning a corner, he finally saw the door he was looking for and...well...it was very difficult not to see it, since it was at least four meters high.

' _This door is humongous...I wonder if there is someone in this school as tall as this door..._ ' he shook his head before placing a hand on the door to open it.

' _I only hope that those two have been put in the other section...I have no desire to discuss with them..._ ' Izuku thought opening the door with closed eyes just to regret it after only a second.

"DON'T PUT YOUR LEGS ON THE DESK! DON'T YOU THINK THAT IS DISRESPECTFUL TOWARDS YOUR CLASSMATES?!"

"NO, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I DON'T THINK SO! WHICH MIDDLE SCHOOL ARE YOU FROM ANYWAY, FUCKING FOUR EYES?!"

Before the bespectacled boy could answer, a loud "OH HELL NO!" echoed in the classroom, as the door was closed violently. All the students turned to the door with confused looks and a girl with plug-like earlobes, who was covering her ears with both hands, murmured "The lessons haven't started yet and I already have a headache...great..."

Izuku could not help but send a curse to anyone who had divided the students between the two sections. There must have been about forty students between both sections and he had managed to end up with those two?! To Hell with U.A., he would have preferred to fight against All Might every day rather than hearing those two for a single minute.

"Uhm...excuse me, is this the section 1-A?" asked a female voice behind him and, upon looking behind his back, he saw the brown-haired girl from the exam walking toward him with a timid smile "I've been looking for my class for ten minutes, this place is huge!"

' _She did not recognize me? Ah, yes...my face was covered._ ' Izuku thought before nodding at her "Yes it is this one, I just got here myself."

"Oh thank you!" said the girl widening her smile "That means we will be classmates! By the way, I'm Ochaco Uraraka! Nice to meet you!"

"If you want to have a friendly conversation, go somewhere else." suddenly said a third voice, this time male, and as strange as it might sound, the voice came from the floor. Both Izuku and Ochaco looked down, staring with dismay at a man with long black hair lying on the ground in a yellow sleeping bag.

Not at all shaken by their looks, the man took out a juice from the sleeping bag and drank it in a single sip "This is department of heroics, not a bar to chat with friends."

' _Who the Hell is this guy?!_ ' thought the two aspiring heroes with a sweatdrop as the man stood up while remaining in the sleeping bag.

"What are you doing here? You should be in the classroom." said the man with half-open eyes.

"Err...I'm not sure but I guess you're a teacher." said Izuku raising a hand "I would like to know if it is still possible to change section."

Ochaco looked at him with surprised eyes "Why do you want to change it already?"

"I would like to know it too..." said the man with no reaction "I'm the homeroom teacher of class 1-A, Shota Aizawa..."

Izuku simply pointed at the door "After you, sensei..."

Arching an eyebrow, Shota walked slowly towards the door and then began to open it...

"YOU WANT TO END ME?! ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO BECOME A HERO WITH THAT TEMPER?!"

"FUCK YOU, FOUR EYES! GET OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL SERIOUSLY HURT YOU!"

...just to close it instantly.

"Maybe I still have time to get the other section assigned to me..." said Shota without moving away from the door.

"Please take me with you, sensei..." added Izuku with an almost pleading voice.

Behind them, Ochaco could only sweatdrop.

With a loud sigh, Shota opened the door again "Unfortunately we don't have time. Life is short, kids."

' _An optimistic guy...undoubtedly..._ ' thought Izuku and Ochaco walking in the class with him while all the students stopped talking after seeing the man enter. Izuku did not even have to turn around to feel Bakugo's eyes on him but luckily he did not have to think about it too much because, after introducing himself to the rest of the class, Shota pulled a blue T-shirt out of the sleeping bag, handing it to Izuku.

"You will find a uniform like this in front of your personal locker in the locker room. Go and put them on and then go to the P.E. grounds." ordered Shota without emotion in his voice.

Izuku sighed slightly and headed for the locker rooms with the rest of the class, doing his best to ignore Jack's furious gaze.

' _I really hope I can change section..._ ' he thought with another sigh ' _Well I might as well see what Aizawa-sensei wants us to do...I just hope he doesn't force us to use our Quirks..._ '

* * *

[ **U.A. High School –** **Teachers Room** / _In the meantime_ ]

' _U.A.'s system is aberrant..._ ' thought All Might reading the academy's regulation whit the various advantages offered to teachers and students ' _Depending on the homeroom teacher, even today they might be expelled..._ '

"Morning, Mighty boy!" shouted someone behind him "I see you're already studying the regulation, yeah!"

"Present Mic..." said All Might looking at him with a calm face and a nod "Something like that. I noticed that several rules have changed since I was a student here."

"Oh yeah! Our furry boss has changed many rules in recent years! Some are absolutely crazy!" said Present Mic with a grin while sitting in front of All Might "By the way, I found out what you wanted to know, Mighty boy! It seems like the homeroom teacher of class 1-A is my old classmate, Aizawa!"

All Might cringed at that ' _Oh boy...looks like they are really in for it with this guy..._ '

"And speaking of those young listeners, in that class there is the boy recommended by you!" asked Present Mic pointing both index fingers at his fellow hero "The one who literally ignited the entrance exam, Flaming Centaur, correct?"

All Might sighed "Yes, that's him. I just hope there are no problems between him and his classmates. From what I have seen, he was put in the same class as young Katsuki, the boy who arrived second in the exam, and they do not seem to get along very well."

Present Mic raised an eyebrow at his words "Shouldn't you be more worried about what Aizawa will do with that class? Last year he expelled a whole class of students during the first day of school, ya know?"

This time, All Might showed a strange grin at the English teacher "Young Midoriya will not be expelled. Today they will have the test, right? I'm sure he will exceed Aizawa's expectations."

Present Mic grinned as well "Oh yeeeeeeeeeaaaaah, I've got shivers down my spine!"

* * *

[ **U.A. High School –** **P.E. Grounds** / _Shortly after_ ]

' _A Quirk apprehension test! Of fucking course!_ ' thought Izuku with a his eye twitching in annoyance. He had hoped to spend the first day without too much trouble and instead this test would have forced him to show his Quirk to everyone. He could already hear Bakugo's imprecations followed by a long series of questions from his classmates. Those not scared by his appearance or his 'fame', at least.

"Um...what about the ceremony on the first day?" asked Ochaco, confused by this development, given that on the documents he had signed it was indicated that, during the first day, there would be no real lessons, but a ceremony and other things soon after.

"If you want to be heroes, we don't have time for frilly niceties." said Shota without looking back now that he was out of his sleeping bag "We teachers have many freedoms, and this is one of them."

Turning to the students, many of whom were confused by his words, he showed them a soft-ball "Softball pitch, standing long jump, fifty meter dash, endurance running, grip strength test, sustained sideways jumps, upper body exercises, seated toe-touch...these are all activities you all know from middle school. Physical tests where you were barred from using your Quirks. Thanks to the negligence of our government, we have no way of recording the data we need before the academy." Shota then looked at Bakugo, being tired of the looks he was shooting at Izuku "Katsuki, how far could you pitch a soft-ball in middle school?"

Bakugo looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Sixty-seven meters."

Shota threw the ball at the blond "Try using your Quirk this time. As long you don't exit the circle, anything you do is fine and don't hold back."

Bakugo weighed the ball with one hand and assumed a throwing position inside the circle on the ground ' _I'll just add a blast to the pitch._ ' before throwing the ball into the sky with the help of an explosion in his hand "DIE!"

The other students watched in amazement at the ball flying in the sky until they saw it fall to the ground far from them.

"Before anything else, you must know what you're capable of." after a few seconds, Shota turned to them showing a cell phone on which was shown '705.2 m' "This is a rational metric that will form the basis of your hero foundation."

"Wow!"

"Awesome! That looks so fun!"

"More than seven hundred meters? Incredible!"

"So we can use our Quirks now? Now we're talking!"

As the students voiced their thoughts, Shota's face grew darker with every single comment and only Izuku seemed to notice it.

"It looks fun, you say?" repeated the black-haired man without looking at them "So you were planning to spend three years here having a good old time? What happened to becoming heroes?" Shota looked at them, making them wince with his glare "All right then, new rule: the student who rank last in total points will be judged 'hopeless' and instantly expelled."

' _That is a threat with a capital T...but can he really do that?_ ' thought Izuku just when Shota showed them a creepy smile "Our freedom means that we can expel students whenever we want to."

' _Well that answers my question..._ '

"But this is our first day here!" shouted Ochaco "That's just too unreasonable!"

Shota sighed, running a hand through his hair "Natural disasters, massive accidents, ego-mad villains...these are just a few examples of what could happen at any time. The whole world is now submerged in what could be described as unreasonable, and that's our job as heroes. To reverse it all and restore reason. This is not an academy where you can take it easy. For the next three years, as long as you survive, you will always be faced with increasingly harder tests and you will always have to give more than one hundred percent." he grinned at them "This is Plus Ultra. I expect you to overcome those trials and climb to the top."

As the students reflected on his words, Shota explained that the various tests would be carried out mostly in pairs, after which he began to call the various students. Remaining on the sidelines, Izuku looked closely at the various Quirks put on display by his classmates, noting how some of them were more suited to certain situations, such as the bespectacled guy who had something like engines integrated into the calves.

When his name was called, Izuku mentally cursed to see that he had to take the fifty meter dash with Bakugo. However, instead of going to the starting point he approached the teacher who looked at him with a knowing look "If you're wondering if I'm aware of your Quirk, the answer is yes, I know everything there is to know, so do not hesitate to use it. Also, as much as it influences objects you come in contact with, you will not be allowed to use your vehicle."

Izuku nodded and approached Bakugo, his heart beating slightly faster. With a loud sigh, he looked at the spot where he was supposed to start the dash ' _I might as well take this weight off my shoulders._ '

In a blaze of flames, all the students gasped as those flames devoured his flesh, showing white bones not at all affected by the heat or fire. When most of the flames were dispersed, mostly staying around his bones, Izuku turned slowly toward them, noting that most of them were watching him with eyes full of surprise and fear, though some were strangely excited at the sight of his appearance. Shrugging, he positioned himself next to Bakugo, noting how the blond was looking at him with wide eyes and clenched teeth.

"Deku! What the fuck is that?! How can you have a Quirk?! Your a fucking Quirkless bike nerd!" hissed Bakugo gritting his teeth even more when Izuku ignored him completely "Answer me, fucking nerd!"

' _ **Now that I think about it, I have never tested the speed of my Quirk...I have always moved using my bike and during my fights I never realized how fast I was going.**_ ' thought Izuku cracking his neck ' _ **Time to find out.**_ '

Not far from them, he raised a hand signaling to get ready. When he quickly lowered it, Izuku simply jerked forward with all the strength that his Quirk could give him. The result was surprising but not anomalous because, during all the tests he had conducted with his Quirk, Izuku had understood that his power made him extremely strong but the same could not be said about his speed. As expected by him, after the initial burst of velocity, his speed began to drop, making him still reach the finish line after only 3.25 seconds. Not the fastest but still faster than Bakugo who arrived shortly after him using the explosions produced by his hands as propellers, marking a time of 4.13 seconds.

"Midoriya, can't you do anything for your feet?" asked Shota with the same calm voice pointing behind Izuku who, after looking back, saw flames where he had placed his feet.

" **Can't say that I can. My flames do as they want most of the time, also those flames will last only a few seconds.** " explained Izuku with a shrug.

Shota nodded before calling the students who still had to take the fifty meter dash test. However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bakugo walking towards Izuku with a face contorted with rage.

"Fucking nerd! What the fuck was that?!" shouted Bakugo with a glare.

Izuku looked at him without...well...blinking " **My Quirk.** "

"That's not your Quirk! You don't have a Quirk! You're Quirkless!"

" **I was Quirkless when I was four, that's different.** " said Izuku with another shrug.

"Why you-!" Bakugo charged at him creating small explosions in his right hand but then a white cloth blocked both his arms, forcing him to stop.

"If I were you, I would not try to resist since I erased your Quirk." said Shota with his eyes now blood red "Also, try again to attack your classmate and you will be the one to be expelled!" Bakugo gritted his teeth but nodded anyway, shooting a last glare at Izuku. Closing his eyes to undo the effect of his Quirk, Shota turned to the other students "We're wasting time. Prepare for the next trial."

Remaining apart from the rest of the students, Izuku continued to wait his turn, noting however that Ochaco and the eyeglasses boy, whose name was Tenya Iida, from time to time turned their eyes to him and looked as if they were undecided about what to do. Without thinking too much about it, he continued to perform the various tests remaining in his skeletal form and, thanks to the various devices used by the school, Izuku managed to understand some limits of his Quirk.

During the grip strength test, he had destroyed the device to measure the force when he had reached two tons, shocking his classmates since the second highest score was five hundred and forty kilos scored by Mezo Shoji, a boy with strange tentacle-like limbs. However that result was overshadowed after the upper body exercises, where Izuku had lifted over twenty tons using a special rod that became heavier over time, although Izuku somehow knew he could lift a lot more, he had decided to stop to avoid more problems in the future.

With the seated toe-touch test he had roughly surpassed everyone thanks to his lack of flesh, even if the frog-girl, Tsuyu Asui, had managed to equal him thanks to her incredible elasticity, followed closely by Mashirao Ojiro, a normal boy but with a big tail, and Yuga Aoyama, who seemed to be stubborn with being elegant in every situation.

With the standing long jump he was placed in the first half of the class despite having used his flames as propellers forward, a technique used at the same time by Bakugo and mimed, in one way or another, by those who had a Quirk suitable for the test. Ochaco, however, had earned the first position thanks to her Quirk which had annulled her gravity, allowing her to make a very long jump.

Just that Quirk had granted her an 'Infinity' as a result of the soft-ball pitch, leaving the other students in disbelief, while Izuku had arrived second with a launch of over three kilometers.

During the endurance running, he had been stopped by Shota after the twentieth lap of the sports field. The teacher had told him that they did not have the whole day to find out what was the limit of his stamina and the fact that Izuku was not at all tired was a clear sign of his resistance. Needless to say that even in that test he had scored more points, while Tenya had arrived behind him but managed to finish only a dozen laps.

The test of the sustained sideways jumps, Izuku had shown to have an excellent coordination, managing to overcome most of his classmates even if, strangely, the shortest of the class, Minoru Mineta, was able to make more sideways jumps thanks to his low stature that guaranteed a lower center of gravity and therefore more controllable.

However, Minoru was now sweating like a turkey during Thanksgiving in America. Having obtained an optimal score only in a test out of eight, it was quite presumable that he was in the last position. Even those who had a Quirk unsuitable for all tests, such as a completely invisible girl named Toru Hagakure, had managed to make more points than he did.

After the last test, Shota called all the students in front of him, while typing on the screen of the small device used to show the individual results. When even Izuku, now back in human form, was near the other students, the teacher said "All right, time for the results." and with a tap on the screen, a holographic ranking began to appear in front of the students.

"Oh yeah, that whole 'expulsion' thing was a lie."

Silence reigned supreme as the students looked at their teacher with surprised and speechless faces.

Seeing their expressions, Shota grinned and added "It was a logical ruse to pull out your best performances."

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" half the class screamed as Minoru was about to have a cardiac arrest.

"C'mon guys, use your brains! Of course it was just a ruse!" said a tall girl with black hair, Momo Yaoyorozu if Izuku recalled right.

"Easy for you to say when you were not risking like me!" shouted Minoru pointing at the ranking and, sure enough, he was in last place while Izuku was at the top of the ranking, much to Bakugo's ire.

"Right, tight. With that, the test is over. Your curriculum sheets are back in the classroom so give them a once-over." said Shota walking away "And do not be late. The day is not over yet."

While the students walked towards the locker rooms, Shota went directly to the main building but as soon as he had turned the corner, he found himself next to one of his colleagues.

" **Aizawa, you liar!** "

"Oh, it's All Might." said Shota not at all surprised "You were watching, I take it? You must be free then."

" **I arrived a few seconds ago, just in time to see the ranking!** " said All Might with a thumbs up " **But anyway! A logical ruse? April's fool was a week ago, you know? You expelled an entire class of first-graders last year!** **Today, however, you have shown a completely opposite behavior!** " All Might pointed at him " **You felt it too, right? The potential that these young heroes possess! Especially young Midoriya!** "

Shota looked at him for a second "Their chances are above the zero mark so I won't expel them until they reach that point. It makes no sense to keep alive a dream that will never come true." he started to walk but then stopped "Ah right...about Midoriya..."

" **What about him?** "

"A while ago, Katsuki tried to attack him but I stopped him using my cloth and my Quirk..." said Shota with a strange voice "Midoriya was right behind him and I could clearly see him..."

" **What are you getting at, Aizawa?** " asked All Might having never heard that voice from the fellow pro-hero. In his voice was clearly distinguishable his concern for something...and if something worried someone like Shota...

"I do not know what it is...but whatever it is..." Shota looked back at him, his eyes clearly showing his concern.

"I couldn't erase it with my Quirk."

* * *

[ **U.A. High School** / _A few hours later_ ]

Izuku yawned loudly covering his mouth with one hand. The first day of school was over and he felt incredibly tired. Not only he had to show everyone his Quirk, but during the lunch break he had been bombarded with questions from many of his classmates, especially that pink-skinned girl, Mina Ashido. As soon as he heard her talk, Izuku thought she was under the effect of some sugar or caffeine intoxication.

"Hey! Wait!"

Upon hearing the voice of Tenya, he turned to confront his classmate, who had not spoken to him all day. Quite strange considering his way of doing somewhat...particular.

"Midoriya, today I could not tell you because I did not know how to say it but I would like to tell you that during the entrance exam you were the best man!" said Tenya with a tone of voice fast but precise.

"Say what...?"

"You had somehow more experience of us seeing your past as a vigilante but nevertheless you were the only one to understand the true meaning of the exam by saving Uraraka! For this, you proved yourself to the best man and I can not help but be ashamed of myself for not having noticed!" explained the younger boy while clenching his fists.

' _Should I tell him that I did not know anything about the rescue points?_ ' thought Izuku with a sweatdrop but when he was about to answer, from behind Tenya, Ochaco came with a shy smile on her face.

"Uh...hi Midoriya! I know you're going home but...I wanted to thank you for saving me during the exam and I'm sorry for not having thanked you before!" said the girl before bowing in front of the older boy who felt strangely uncomfortable.

"No need to thank me, Uraraka. After all, by saving you I managed to be admitted..." said Izuku with a little smile while thinking ' _Unfortunately..._ '

"I should have imagined there were rescue points. Uraraka, I am dismayed that I did not help you during the exam!" said Tenya bowing to Ochaco who blushed a bit.

"Y-You should not apologize! Nobody knew and that giant robot was quite threatening!"

Izuku seemed almost amused by the current situation and, before he knew it, he was already walking out of the school with Tenya and Ochaco, talking about their first day at the academy and other things, including Izuku's past but he had already drawn lines on what he was willing to reveal. When they were in front of the train station, he froze suddenly, staring wide-eyed at the huge clock in the station.

"Midoriya? Are you okay?" asked Tenya with concern in his voice as he and Ochaco looked at the older boy.

"No...I'm not okay...I forgot something at school..."

"Uh? What did you forget? A pencil? A notebook? Your cell phone?" the bespectacled boy hypothesized some of the things that could be forgotten but none of his hypotheses could even hope to get closer to Izuku's response.

"My motorcycle..."

* * *

[ **U.A. High School** / _The next day_ ]

' _So normal..._ ' was the common thought of most students in the class as Present Mic wrote a sentence in English on the blackboard asking them to identify the mistake. Obviously some had slightly different thoughts, such as Bakugo who was about to fall asleep due to boredom. He had enrolled in that academy to become a hero, for God's sake! He had already spent five years of complete boredom during middle school with those damned subjects.

Behind him, Izuku was taking notes as he was not bothered to study some normal stuff, an aspect of his character that he had never lost during his childhood, even though his passion for motorcycles had brought him several times to study for a short time time, so as to spend some time in Johnny's shop.

' _Ordinary subjects in the morning, then lunch break and in the afternoon we have foundational heroics studies..._ ' thought Izuku looking at the blackboard ' _It would seem almost like a normal school..._ '

"WHO KNOWS THE ANSWER?! EVERYBODY HANDS UP AND RAISE THEM HIGH!"

' _Almost..._ '

Despite the particular behavior of some teachers, Izuku still struggled to understand how a heroine named '18+ only Hero Midnight' could be a teacher in a school of minors, the morning passed serenely and the young hero in training seemed to regain his good mood during the lunch break when he tasted one of the spiciest foods present. Thanks to his Quirk, spicy or hot foods did not bother him and over the years he had discovered he was madly in love with spicy Mexican peppers.

Another rather relaxing moment had come out of nowhere when one of his classmates, Eijiro Kirishima, had challenged him to eat a whole hot pepper. Izuku had eaten his without any repercussions, Eijiro had been taken to the infirmary for second-degree burns on the tongue.

Another thing that Izuku had noticed since the morning had been the change of his classmates towards him. If the day before, many of them were not particularly enthusiastic about being close to him, now they were all trying to talk to him in a normal way, especially thanks to Ochaco and Tenya who treated him like a normal person. Of the whole class, only two people still kept their distance from him: Bakugo, for reasons all too obvious, and Shoto Todoroki, a very cold boy and not just because of his Quirk, who always seemed on guard when he was near Izuku, especially when the older boy was in his skeletal form.

Shaking his head not to think about that strange detail, Izuku looked at the door of the classroom with less enthusiasm than the others. After all, he had fought dozens and dozens of villains for almost three years, so there was not much he could surprise him regarding the heroic part of the studies.

' _I only hope that our teacher is not another hero with strange tendencies..._ '

" **IT'S MEEEEEEEE!** "

' _And here I can say goodbye to my last bit of hope..._ '

" **I entered through the door like a normal person!** " shouted All Might walking toward the teacher desk before taking up a pose " **Foundational hero studies! For this class, we'll build up you hero foundation through various trials!** " he then turned to the class, showing a card with the 'battle' written on it " **Let's jump right in with this! The trial of battle!** "

Upon hearing his words, the class seemed to be animated by new life, especially Bakugo who had a crazy light in his eyes.

" **And to go with your first battle...!** " All Might picked up a small remote control and, after pressing a button, a wall of the class began to move showing glass cases with large numbered containers " **We've prepared the gear required by you to match your Quirks!** "

"Our battle gear!"

"Awesome!"

"I can't wait to wear my costume!"

Izuku picked up the container with his superhero costume, noting the black belt with the skull-shaped buckle. A slight grin formed on his lips. Perhaps that lesson could be interesting after all.

" **Get changed and we'll be ready to go! Everyone gather at grounds Beta!** " said All Might pointing at the door with a smile " **The garb you bring into the battlefield is vitally important, boys and girls, and remember!** "

All the students turned to him, eager to hear what he wanted to say to them.

" **FROM HERE ON OUT, YOU'RE ALL OFFICIALLY HEROES!** "

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4: IZUKU VS KATSUKI**

* * *

 **Omake: IT'S MEEEE!**

Shaking his head not to think about that strange detail, Izuku looked at the door of the classroom with less enthusiasm than the others. After all, he had fought dozens and dozens of villains for almost three years, so there was not much he could surprise him regarding the heroic part of the studies.

' _I only hope that our teacher is not another hero with strange tendencies..._ '

" **IT'S-** **A** **MEEEEEEEE...!** "

' _And here I can say goodbye to my last bit of hope..._ '

" **MARIO!** "

' _...what?_ '

Much to everyone's confusion, a very short man with brown hair, a mustache and a red hat entered the room jumping with a raised fist and then landing on the teacher's desk "Mamma mia, what an amazing class! Today I'm here to teach you how to save princesses in danger!" and after another jump, he walked toward the door "Come on, follow me! Let's-a go!"

After he left the classroom, a disturbing silence fell on the students and only after several minutes Tenya asked a question to the others.

"I know it sounds weird...but that white powder that Lunch-Rush uses for cooking...is flour, right?"

Nobody could give him an answer...

 **END OMAKE**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the third chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **I know this chapter has come shorter than the others but I did not really know how to stretch it all without becoming boring, so I decided to write a quieter chapter than the previous ones and unfortunately also shorter! I hope the next ones will not suffer the same treatment! I hope you enjoyed it despite the presence of scenes that were at least amusing!**

 **As you have noticed now I have also put the title of the next chapter, so as to create some form of hype or anticipation! Perhaps in the future I will also put a phrase taken from the next chapter! Also I will add the same thing in the previous chapters, just to do things right!**

 **One thing I would like to pin down is the fact that I will use the names of the characters during the descriptions etc...but I will keep the style of the manga using the last names during the dialogues (when requested at least)!**

 **There are no other big announcements to make for this chapter and it's time to move on to the ranking for the pairing that has now been reduced to a three-way fight!**

 **\- Izuku x Jiro Kyoka (24 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Mina (23 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Momo (20 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Mei (3 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Nejire (2 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Toga (1 vote)**

 **\- Izuku x Kendou (1 vote)**

 **\- Izuku x Fuyumi Todoroki (1 vote)**

 **\- Izuku x Ochaco (1 vote)**

 **And that's it! Remember to propose your preferences (up to a maximum of three if you are undecided)! Now I will go to respond to the reviews!**

* * *

 **REPLIES TO REVIEWS**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Izuku x ...": we will see at the end who will win!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Please update!" or "More!" or anything like that: here's more!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "I like this story!" or something like that: you're welcome!**

 **Now, the single reviews:**

 **\- 1stGenAgainstAllOdds: In the future I will show them too, do not worry! Also, I already have a final move in mind for Izuku, actually three!**

 **\- Guest: I hope the chapter has fulfilled your expectations!**

 **\- Anc1enT: I suppose this chapter has answered your question, but for safety, Izuku will have the usual group of buddies (Ochaco, Tenya and Shoto (not now))!**

 **\- Vedahzii: Yep, I'll add more weapons!**

 **\- Lightningblade49: Izuku will meet Gang Orca again, you can bet on it!**

 **\- HotSoup2017: I can not say much for the question "OFA vs Ghost Rider's powers" because it would be too big a spoiler! You'll find out later!**

 **\- QuirkQuartz: Well it's an honor to have you here reading my story! Glad that you like it!**

 **\- Johnny Spectre: I've something in mind for that name!**

 **\- .3760: Don't worry, he'll kill again in the future!**

 **\- Yuri-sage: Gang Orca and the vigilantes'll be back, don't worry!**

 **\- Feel The Void: You'll see more of them, don't worry!**

 **\- Serthrek871: Flaming Centaur is the name that the journalists gave him because they did not know who he was and only had some description of his physical appearance! Nope, I said Johnny's a normal human here (with a Quirk, yes, but you do not have Ghost Rider powers)!**

 **\- Blakeyfur: Yes, Izuku will interact with both of them and, as far as the flames and their heat are concerned...you will find out later!**

 **\- Guest: Here it is the chapter for you! Good luck at work!**

 **See you around and have a good night/day!**


	5. Izuku vs Katsuki

**CHAPTER 4: IZUKU VS KATSUKI**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

"Wow! These costumes are fantastic!" shouted Eijiro looking in a mirror after finishing wearing his hero costume.

"They certainly respected all the points I had requested. It's even more beautiful than I imagined." added Yuga pirouetting on himself to swing his cloak.

"This is so awesome!" nodded Denki with a grin placing a headset on his right ear.

While the more sociable and expressive boys looked and commented on their costumes, the others were preparing themselves in silence, including Izuku who had just taken off his school uniform, showing his muscular body that seemed to attract Tenya's attention, who was wearing his costume next to him.

"Midoriya, you must have struggled a lot to get such a physique. Is it something related to your Quirk?" asked Tenya before wearing the helmet of his costume that reminded a mixture between a robot and a medieval knight.

"Something like that. Let's say that it is not very useful for me with my Quirk but it is always better to train for every eventuality." said Izuku with a shrug removing a long-sleeved black shirt from the package that contained his costume.

"Right, a hero should always maintain an impeccable form at any time! I can see that you really want to become a great hero!" nodded Tenya moving both arms at the same time, much like a robot.

"If you say so..." mumbled Izuku while the others began to leave the locker room, heading towards the point designated by All Might. Without wasting any more time, he picked up a black leather jacket and a thin grin appeared on his lips as his eyes seemed to ignite.

" **Let's ride.** "

* * *

[ **U.A. High School –** **Training Grounds Beta** / _A few minutes later_ ]

All Might looked with a wide smile as the students came out of a long corridor, popping up near a small building compound, very similar to the one used during the admission test but smaller. Looking at them one by one, he watched their costumes and the way they moved, noting how they all had no sign of anxiety or insecurity.

" **Let's see what you're made of, you embryos! It's time for the trial of battle!** " shouted All Might pointing at them before noticing that a student was absent " **Mh? Where's young Midoriya?** "

"That fucking nerd is probably still trying to wear his costume." growled Katsuki adjusting the large grenade-shaped protections that covered his forearms.

" **Young Bakugo, that's not the way to talk about fellow hero in training!** " said All Might without losing his smile before looking back at the tunnel, finally seeing someone arrive " **Ah there he is!** "

Upon hearing him arrive, the other students turned to look at Izuku and some of them were surprised to see his costume, simple but at the same time special. Just like the costumes of Kyoka and Denki, his could also be compared to ordinary clothes but decidedly more rare to see around, starting with his black boots with flat studs, on the sides and around the calf, and black metal skull-shaped guards on the knees. The legs were covered by black leather pants, very similar to those worn by motorcyclists, also known as centaurs in the United States, held up by a black leather belt with a silver skull-shaped buckle.

In the upper part, however, it is where the costume became more particular and singular. Above a simple black shirt, Izuku wore a black leather jacket with the zipper closed to the middle of the chest and the collar folded outwards over the pectorals, provided on the back of a sort of metal spine that came from the waist up at the base of the neck. His shoulders were covered by black metal protections similar to those of medieval knights, both covered with flat and silver studs just like the black leather gloves that reached his elbows.

The last element of his costume, which managed to capture the attention of those who were watching him, was the silver chain wrapped around his chest to form a large X but after a second look, his classmates realized that this was not a simple chain because around the waist of Izuku were hooked the ends of the chain: a little scythe and small weight of metal, both completely black.

"A kusarigama..." breathed Momo having instantly recognized the Japanese weapon made famous by the ninja of the past.

"That's right." nodded Izuku with a little smile "There were no rules regarding the use of weapons, obviously excluding those concerning safety, so I was able to include it in the request for my costume."

"Oh man that's so cool!" shouted Eijiro with a wide grin "But your costume seems a little flat..."

Izuku looked at him with a raised eyebrow before grinning for a moment, just long enough to be wrapped in his flames. As soon as his transformation ended, his classmates looked at him with surprise as the various studs of his costume changed shape, becoming long and pointed, especially those on the shoulders. The skulls on the buckle and knees seemed to come to life and their eyes lit up as the 'bones' of the spine on his back seemed to stand out slightly between them so that flames could escape from the spaces as the bones themselves changed shape becoming sharp and curved.

" **Were you saying, Kirishima?** " asked Izuku with in a vaguely smug tone of voice as the red-haired boy stared at him from head to toe and then looked at his own costume, repeating the procedure a couple of times.

"I hope you are happy..." groaned Eijiro with a pout on his face "Now I'm not so enthusiastic about mine..."

" **You will have time to make changes to your costume in the future, young Kirishima!** " shouted All Might with a thumbs up " **But now it's better to hurry up! Today's one will be an indoor battle trial! Villain-cleanup is usually seen out in the open, but what you do not know is that most of the job is done indoors, many times during raids with the police. In this world you can never know how many villains are plotting in the shadows, waiting for their moment!** " the blond hero looked at his students " **For this test, you will be divided into pairs and at each turn a couple will play the role of heroes while the others two will be the villains!** "

"What about the foundational training?" asked Tsuyu tilting her head as All Might clenched a fist in front of him " **This is foundational training! But this time there won't be any robot to destroy!** "

As soon as he said that, some of the students began to ask questions that ranged from the sensible and pertinent ones to the useless and misplaced ones.

"So how do we determine who wins and loses?"

"Is it okay if we just blow our opponents away?"

"Is there a threat of expulsion like with Aizawa-sensei's exercise...?"

"If we have to separate into groups what is the best way to do it?"

"Doesn't this cape look killer on me?"

Upon hearing that last question, Izuku would have gladly hit Yuga in the head for his idiocy but he refrained himself from doing so while All Might began to explain the rules of the trial and how the teams of heroes and villains would be formed, however Izuku sweatdropped in seeing that the hero was reading everything from a piece of paper.

' _ **He can't remember that...? And to say that it sounds like golden age hero stuff...**_ ' thought Izuku shaking his flaming skull.

" **Good! Time to find out who your partner will be!** " said All Might showing a box with a hole on the top side " **Inside this box there are twenty balls divided into pairs, your partner will naturally be the one who will extract the ball equal to yours!** " in a few minutes, all the students took a ball from the box and showed it to All Might who wrote the names on a paper log.

" **Well then, the couples are as follows!** " the hero announced, showing them a table with their names written on it.

 **~ ~ ~ BATTLE TRIAL TEAMS ~ ~ ~**

 **Pair A:** Izuku Midoriya & Toru Hagakure

 **Pair B:** Shoto Todoroki & Ochaco Uraraka

 **Pair C:** Tsuyu Asui & Mezo Shoji

 **Pair D:** Katsuki Bakugo & Hanta Sero

 **Pair E:** Eijiro Kirishima & Koji Koda

 **Pair F:** Minoru Mineta & Yuga Aoyama

 **Pair G:** Denki Kaminari & Mina Ashido

 **Pair H:** Momo Yaoyorozu & Rikido Sato

 **Pair I:** Tenya Iida & Mashirao Ojiro

 **Pair J:** Kyoka Jiro & Fumikage Tokoyami

" **Now let's move on to choose the first couples who will participate in the trial!** " said All Might putting his hands in two boxes, with 'Villains' and 'Heroes' written on them, then pulling out two balls " **Pair A will be heroes! Pair D will be villains!** "

After the four chosen took a step forward, All Might pointed to the building behind him " **The bomb is somewhere in this building and its location will be revealed only to young Bakugo and Sero, also they will enter five minutes before the heroes so they can prepare for the trial! Everyone else will be able to watch what happens through the security cameras! Remember! This is a practical training exercise, so go all out without fear of injury! Though naturally we'll cut it short if things get out of hand...** "

Katsuki looked at Izuku for a moment, sending him a look full of rage, before entering the building with his partner. Izuku could only shake his head ' _ **I do not know why, but I think I know how it will end.**_ '

"Neh neh, All Might gave us these!" said a female voice to his right where two gloves were levitating in mid air above a pair of boots "It's a layout map of the building, I think we should print it in our memory!"

" **Good idea.** " nodded Izuku taking a copy of the map.

"Hey, since we have to recover that bomb, can we use your motorcycle for an epic entry?" asked Toru with her fists going up and down with excitement.

Izuku looked from the sheet of paper to the invisible girl " **If we were to only defeat them it wouldn't be a bad idea but we have a time limit and my motorcycle would reveal our position even before entering. We will act silently as long as possible, and your Quirk will be very useful.** "

"Really?" Izuku could hear a small note of hope in her voice "How?"

" **You're invisible. To retrieve the bomb we just need touch it and if Bakugo and Sero will focus on me, you will be able to get around them and secure the bomb.** " explained Izuku with a calm voice.

"I see! I can not wait to start!"

" **Yeah...me too...** " mumbled Izuku burning away the map before placing a small communicator in the collar of his jacket while Toru did the same, sticking it around her neck. Looking up at the building, Izuku cracked his neck awaiting the start.

It was time to have a little discussion with Katsuki.

* * *

"Done! Everything is ready!" nodded Hanta with a grin hidden by his helmet looking at the various strips of cellophane tape that he had stuck all over the room to form a sort of net around the bomb. For safety he had made them sticky on both sides, so a simple touch would have been enough to trigger the trap.

"Ohi, Flat Face." growled Katsuki without looking at him "As soon as the test begins, I will go to face that fucking nerd."

"Uh? Are you sure about that? His Quirk is not a joke and I'm sure you've heard about him over the years." said Hanta with insecurity in his voice. He wasn't thrilled to face someone like Izuku in a direct fight, it was pure madness!

"Of course I've heard of him..." hissed Katsuki clenching his fists "And that's why I'm so pissed off right now!"

"Uh? What do you-?"

" **Start of the first trial! The time limit is** **fifteen** **minutes! Good luck everyone!** " All Might's voice echoed throughout the building and Hanta, who had looked up after hearing the voice, looked back at Katsuki but there was no sign of him.

With a loud sigh, the black haired boy scratched the back of his head "I just hope he does not do something crazy...and from what I saw yesterday I'm pretty sure he will do something extremely insane..."

* * *

"Infiltration: success!" said Toru with excitement after entering a window on the first floor using the chain of Izuku to reach it after the boy had stuck the sickle blade beside the window, using it like a grappling hook.

" **There are a lot of blind spots, so let's be careful.** " said Izuku wrapping again the kusarigama around his chest. However, what Toru couldn't know was that Izuku already knew where their opponents were, thanks to a side of his Quirk that allowed him to perceive and 'read' the sins committed by people.

' _ **A large amount of anger and pride is approaching, it must be Katsuki.**_ ' thought Izuku before looking at the ceiling ' _ **I can also feel a very small amount of sloth some floors above us, this**_ _ **one**_ _ **must be Hanta.**_ '

The two members of the team 'heroes' began to walk down the aisle in front of them with Toru behind Izuku, since he was the most suited to the vanguard role, especially since he knew exactly what was about to happen. Feeling the approach of Katsuki from the corridor a little further on the right, he raised an arm to stop his partner without slowing down.

She looked at him in confusion, stopping as requested but before she could ask for something, her eyes (not that anyone could see them) widened in surprise because, from around the corner, Katsuki jumped out with his right arm ready to strike. The blond side-looked at his target for a moment before launching a violent hook with a subsequent explosion that knocked Toru on her back.

* * *

"A sudden ambush?!"

"That Bakugo's a cheater! An ambush is so unmanly!" shouted Eijiro while looking at the monitors with All Might and his classmates.

" **Ambushes are an excellent strategy! They are in the heat of a battle, after all!** " said All Might in a solemn voice, having the experience on his back to be able to affirm that.

"But Midoriya...couldn't dodge that attack. Bakugo hit him in the face with that explosion!" said Mina looking at the hero who simply smiled.

" **You don't have to worry, young Ashido! I'm sure that such a shot will not be enough to defeat young Midoriya!** "

"Besides..." added Momo looking at the screen, attracting the attention of others "Bakugo couldn't hit Midoriya as he hoped."

"Uh?"

"At the last second, Midoriya raised his left arm to protect himself...as if he already knew about Bakugo's attack." said Iida while All Might nodded.

" **Excellent spirit of observation! Now, let's continue to see what they have in mind!** " All Might suggested, pointing to the various screens just as the smoke created by Katsuki's explosion began to clear.

* * *

"Midoriya!" shouted Toru looking at the smoke in front of her. Was that why he had stopped her? Because he knew of the danger lurking around the corner? But then why he had gone ahead?!

" **Don't worry, Hagakure. I'm fine.** " came the voice of Izuku from the smoke and in a few moments everyone could see the flaming form of the boy without any scratch or burn on him. His left arm raised to protect his head with the hand of Katsuki still leaning against his glove, regardless of the pointed studs.

" **So my hypothesis was correct. You decided to come against us to face me.** " said Izuku pushing away the hand of his opponent.

"I'll blow you away, Deku." growled Katsuki clenching his fists "I do not care about those people you killed or sent into a coma. They were all idiots weaker than me! I'm stronger than all of them!"

Izuku snorted " **Strange as it may seem, I have to agree with you. Those criminals were weaker than you, but the same can not be said of Gang Orca.** "

Although imperceptibly, Katsuki moved his right foot back as a sweat dribbled down his cheek. Seeing this, Izuku called his partner " **Hagakure! Bakugo is here for me. Look for a staircase far from here and reach the top floor. If my hypotheses are correct, the bomb is somewhere on that floor.** "

"Got it!" Toru nodded running away from them "Be careful!"

Izuku looked back at her " **I will.** "

"Do you think you are so good that you can look somewhere else?!" shouted Katsuki jumping at him with the right leg ready for a side kick but Izuku jumped back, avoiding the attack. The two stared at each other for a moment, after which Izuku created a sphere of fire that threw against his opponent but Katsuki avoided it without problems using a large explosion to jump up while the attack of Izuku hit a wall not far away, spreading flames all around. Using an explosion in midair to direct himself toward Izuku, Katsuki waited for the last second to create a second explosion, allowing him to get behind Izuku and thus avoiding another ball of fire that generated other flames.

Turning on himself, Katsuki tried to hit Izuku behind his head but the flaming skeleton lowered his body at the last second and, upon turning on his axis, he tried to hit his opponent with an uppercut to the chin, however Katsuki used his right hand to create an explosion that moved him back, avoiding the blow, then he created another one with his left hand to launch himself forward and charged his right fist creating many small explosions between his fingers. Violent flames enveloped Izuku's right fist and, at the same time, the two heroes in training tried to hit their opponent but, as if they were in front of a mirror, both Izuku and Katsuki tilted their heads to the left, thus avoiding being hit. Flames and explosions surrounded them for an instant generating a heat wave but neither of them took notice of it and, with a single jump backwards, they again put a bit of distance between them.

"Why are not you using it?" asked Katsuki through clenched teeth "Are you looking down on me?!"

Izuku tilted his head to the side " **What are you talking about?** "

"Don't play dumb! For three years now, it's full of news about you on TV and on the internet! News that describes your power in a thousand different ways!" shouted the blond creating explosions in the palms of his hands "Your Quirk is actually pretty damn flashy, ain't it?! Why do not you use it to the maximum of its power, since mine is even stronger!"

Izuku stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then raised his right hand, showing two fingers " **There are two reasons why I'm not using all my power. The first, the most obvious, is that I don't want to kill you. In spite of your Quirk you are still a human and my flames can burn a person to ashes in a few seconds if I wish.** " he lowered a finger and pointed to Katsuki with his last extended finger " **The second reason is that** **I'm stronger than you.** **Plain and simple.** "

Katsuki widened his eyes in utter shock as his anger began to rise faster and faster inside him "What did you just say?!"

" **Did I stutter?** " asked Izuku tilting again his head " **I said I'm stronger than you.** " he began to walk slowly towards his opponent " **You are definitely strong,** **Bakugo** **, and your Quirk is undoubtedly very powerful. You** **are** **also stronger than those** **villains** **I've defeated, you're probably even stronger than many heroes out there.** " he stopped in front of Katsuki, looking down at him " **However, it does not matter how strong you are. I am and will always be stronger than you.** "

"You bastard..." hissed Katsuki glaring at him with eyes full of rage "Now I'm really pissed!"

He tried to hit Izuku with a fist but the older boy quickly raised a hand to block the blow, slowly starting to tighten his grip " **In the last few years I have understood many things...and one of them is that people like you always think they are on top of the world...at least until someone throws them off their throne in the clouds.** "

Before Katsuki could react, Izuku lifted him up in the air, holding him by the hand, before crashing him to the ground, bending the metal floor. A piercing pain ran through the blond's body but Izuku didn't even give him a second to scream and, after lifting him up again, he used Katsuki's body to hit the metal wall on his right and then the left one, each time deforming the walls. Upon hearing some of Katsuki's bones creaking after the last impact, Izuku threw him more forcefully than before against another wall, sending Katsuki in a large room full of columns.

Desperately trying to catch his breath, Katsuki barely managed to get on his knees when he heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. Looking up, he saw Izuku melt part of the wall to follow him into the room, stopping immediately after entering.

" **Come on Bakugo, get up.** " said Izuku creating a sphere of flames in his right hand " **It's time for** **you to understand how wide is the gap that separates us in terms of strength and power...** "

* * *

"Wow...Midoriya threw Bakugo against the wall as if he were a doll..." said Eijiro looking at the screens.

"Midoriya is saying something but there's no sound through the surveillance footage...and we can't read his lips since he has no lips..." added Denki scratching his head.

" **We can only see them but the members of a team can communicate with each other through small transmitters, moreover the heroes are provided with a special tape with which they can capture the villains!** " explained All Might " **In addition, everyone has a sketch of the building's map!** "

"But the heroes don't know where the bomb is and they have a time limit. They are very disadvantaged in this scenario..." said Mina with concern on her face.

" **What, didn't Aizawa teach you kids our motto?! SAY IT WITH ME NOW!** " shouted All Might raising his arms " **PLUS UL-!** "

"Ah, madame Hagakure!" said Yuga pointing at a screen "She reached the bomb."

Forgetting momentarily of All Might, everyone turned to the screen indicated by the blond and, as said by him, they 'saw' the invisible girl hidden behind a column a few meters from the bomb and Hanta.

* * *

"I'm really getting a little pumped up." said Toru while looking at the form of her classmate before taking off her gloves and boots "Now he won't see me!"

"I can't see you, but I can hear you!" shouted Hanta turning suddenly towards her, ejecting a trail of cellophane tape from his right elbow, completely wrapping the girl from the knees to the shoulders.

"Kyaaa!"

Of all the possible reactions, that was the one Hanta did not expect and, adding Toru's squeak with her voice and the fact that she had just been immobilized, a strong blush made its way to his face, which was fortunately covered by his helmet.

"Err...s-sorry! Did I hurt you?" asked the black haired boy walking toward her ' _I know I should be the villain here but I want to be sure and my Quirk is definitely sticky and she's...s-she's...n-n-n..._ ' a thin trail of blood began to run down his nose ' _Naked! Oh God! I just used my Quirk to immobilize a naked girl!_ '

"N-No, b-but this thing is...sticky and it's touching my...my...y-you know..." the invisible girl stammered trying to wriggle away but without success. In the room where All Might and the rest of the class could see the trial, Minoru was thrown into the air by a jet of blood from his nose.

"O-Oh! I...I see! M-M-My bad! I'll help you right now!" said Hanta gripping the tape around her legs "I'll r-remove it! T-Try to s-stay still!"

"O-Okay!"

After a few minutes of agonizing silence, he managed to free her legs up to her thighs, giving her more freedom. Standing up, he asked her "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks!" nodded Toru even if he couldn't see her "Now what are...hey, what is that thing on the ceiling?"

"Uh? The ceiling?" repeated Hanta looking up and so missing a brief flash of red where Toru's eyes were supposed to be.

"Take this, you sticky pervert!"

"Wha-!?" Hanta's words died in his throat at the very moment when Toru's kick hit him between the legs, even managing to lift him a few inches off the floor. An expression of pure pain and horror formed on his face as the boy collapsed unconscious on the ground with his hands instinctively going to cover the sore spot, even though it was too late.

"Yay! Victory for me and therefore for us!" cheered Toru running toward the bomb but as soon as she was close enough, one of her feet touched one of the tapes previously prepared by Hanta. Before she could realize it, she found herself completely wrapped in those tapes from the tip of her feet up to the throat and, being those tapes sticky on both sides, she was also blocked against the floor, preventing any form of movement.

"Oh come on! I was so close!" shouted Toru "It's not fair!"

* * *

"A minute of silence for our brother who fell in battle..." whispered Eijiro with his right hand over his hearth and the left in defense of his jewels, being imitated by everyone else, even All Might, while the girls simply rolled their eyes.

"To be fooled by a trick like that..." said Momo while shaking her head.

"Ribbit. But she used her Quirk to her advantage. Not being able to see her face Sero couldn't know what she was thinking." added Tsuyu tilting her head.

"Even though she was trapped again, she was so cool! I already like that girl!" smiled Mina as Kyoka grinned.

"Maybe I can use something like that too..." and, to prove her point, Kyoka snapped her earlobes like whips, making the boys present pale.

" **A-Anyway! It's a stalemate with young Sero and Hagakure, so let's get back to see how young Midoriya and Bakugo are doing!** " shouted All Might looking at a screen full of flames. Confused by the images taken, he switched to another camera and what they saw left them speechless. The whole room where Izuku and Katsuki were fighting was engulfed in flames and Katsuki, much to their confusion, was...laughing?

* * *

"Do you really think..." shouted Katsuki amid the laughter "...that just because you can spit fire and you're physically stronger than me, you're better than me?! You...are just a pebble on my way! I'm stronger than you and not even those other idiots in class with us can hope to beat me!" he created two big explosions in his hands "I will surpass that bastard of All might and I will become the number one hero! I'm above you and now I will prove it to you!"

Raising his right arm, Katsuki showed him a strange grin "My explosions are sparked by the sweat on my palms, which is like secreting nitroglycerin that then detonates." with his left hand he moved back a part of his right grenade-like gauntlet, showing a little safety pin pull ring "Now, if the specs are as if I asked...then I can store my nitro-sweat into this bracer..."

" **Bakugo, my boy, stop this!** " shouted All Might already aware of Katsuki's costume trick " **That gadget it too dangerous!** "

Interpreting his words as a sign of concern for the safety of Izuku, Katsuki widened his grin with a light of madness in his eyes "If it doesn't hit him, he won't die!"

" **No.** "

That simple word pronounced by Izuku stopped Katsuki before he could pull out the safety ring.

" **Even if that attack should hit me, it would not do anything to me. I can, more or less, imagine what it is and that's why I can tell you that it will not help you against me.** " said Izuku crossing his arms over the chest " **Feel free to try. Maybe this will help you understand the difference in power between the two of us.** "

Katsuki's pupils started to shrink until they became two red dots as he clenched his teeth making them almost crack.

"You...are still looking down on me?!" hissed Katsuki slowly moving his arm to aim at Izuku "If you really think you're so strong, stay where you are!" seeing Izuku completely still, his anger reached new heights and prey to the purest rage, he pulled out the safety ring while screaming "DIE!"

For a moment nothing happened, but then a huge cone of flames and explosions erupted from a small hole pointing at Izuku. The huge attack wiped away the floor and columns in front of Katsuki, getting closer and closer to his target but then, when a few centimeters separated Izuku from the enormous cone of destruction, all the flames and explosions generated by Katsuki's attack vanished into nothingness, leaving only the flames created earlier by Izuku.

Katsuki remained motionless. His arm still stretched forward with trembling eyes as his mind could not comprehend what happened in front of him.

Similarly, All Might and his classmates were staring with eyes widened in disbelief at the various screens, without being able to say anything. Unlike Katsuki, whose view was blocked by his own attack, they saw the unfolding of the attack from behind Izuku and so they could see his flames moving like a living being to form a sort of spiral in front of him before devouring Katsuki's attack in an instant.

"My attack...didn't reach him...?!" breathed Katsuki looking in disbelief at the trail of destruction left behind by his attack. A trail that stopped exactly in front of Izuku.

" **Oh, now don't go making that face.** " said Izuku unfolding his arms " **Your attack did reach me, really it did. But unfortunately, it seems** **like** **you have focused too much on me and not on your surroundings.** "

Without realizing it, Katsuki looked around, seeing how the whole room was invaded by the flames generated by Izuku with his various attacks and then, as if he had been struck, the words of Izuku, spoken the day before during the test, came back to his mind.

" _ **My flames do as they want most of the time, also those flames will last only a few seconds.**_ "

' _His flames...are not fading...!_ '

" **These flames are my power.** " said Izuku with a calm voice " **It is true that if they are left free they act without control...** "

New flames rose up around Izuku and, in spite of all that heat, Katsuki couldn't help but notice how a veil of frost seemed to have embraced his body. In all his life he had experienced a similar sensation only twice. The first dates back to when he was younger and a man had pushed him to the ground without even apologizing. His mother's furious glare, although she wasn't angry with him, had made him tremble uncontrollably for several minutes.

" **However, if I decide to get serious...** "

The second time was related to a more recent episode, when that slime villain had assaulted him to control his body. In spite of all the words he had to say about it, that day Katsuki had really been afraid for his life.

" **Then among all those I've created...** "

Now, for the third time, his body seemed not to respond to his commands as a cold grip grasped his heart. His mind slowly managed to understand the nature of that feeling, so dark and cold. Only one word came to his mind.

Fear.

" **Strong or feeble, old or new...it doesn't matter.** "

Looking at his opponent, Katsuki couldn't help but feel looked down by those empty sockets.

' _He's looking at me..._ ' realized Katsuki, not noticing the flames slowly approaching him from all directions '... _like...a pebble on his way..._ '

" **Every last bit of flames around me...** " hissed Izuku with a voice cold as ice " **Bends to my whim.** "

Like a fierce beast, all the flames around Katsuki engulfed him in a heartbeat, without even giving him time to scream.

* * *

"SENSEI! THAT MIDORIYA IS CRAZY! HE WILL KILL HIS OPPONENT!" shouted Eijiro pointing at a screen while looking at All Might, who was looking as well. His smile faded from his face.

' _ **Young Midoriya...**_ _ **have you really lost control? Are you really going to kill your classmate?! I'm sorry but I can not allow it!**_ ' thought the pro-hero but, just when he was about to destroy a wall and head towards the battle, he and all the others were shocked to see all the flames dissipate instantly, leaving in their place a Katsuki perfectly unharmed, without even a burn.

"W-What...? What happened?!" asked Rikido, blinking a few times "Bakugo hasn't been reduced to ashes? How?!"

Their confusion grew even more when they saw Katsuki collapse to the ground with a purple, almost blue, face and white eyes.

"Ah, I get it." said Shoto with a calm voice "He used the basic principle of flames."

His classmates looked at him with confusion and Momo asked "The basic principle...?"

He nodded slowly, still looking at the screen "Even if that's what they're used for, flames are not dangerous just because they burn things..."

* * *

" **You know, humans and flames are very similar to each other...** " said Izuku slowly walking toward Katsuki " **Both destroy everything on their path if they are not controlled...and both need air to continue living.** " looking down at the unarmed figure of his opponent, he snorted " **I hope this will teach you once and for all to recognize your limits, Bakugo, or next time I will not limit myself to make you faint because of the lack of air.** "

After binding Katsuki's wrists with the tape used for the capture, Izuku headed for the bomb, finding himself in front of a rather comical scene as Hanta was still on the ground with some foam coming out of his helmet and Toru was still stuck to the ground.

" **Do you need help?** "

"Yes...please..." nodded the invisible girl before being released thanks to the flames of Izuku. Soon after, the two touched the bomb, thus obtaining victory for their team. After a moment of silence, the voice of All Might echoed in the building.

" **Hero team...WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!** "

"Yay! We won! We won! Nice job Midoriya!" cheered Toru before adding "Um...I've raised my hand for a high-five..."

" **Oh...sorry...I...didn't see that...** " mumbled Izuku raising his hand too, just to feel something touching it for a moment as she clapped her hand with his own " **By the way...where's your...costume?** "

"Oh I removed it! Better recover it!" said Toru before walking toward her costume.

Shaking his head, Izuku picked up the unconscious form of Hanta and walked with his partner. Time to get some results from All Might.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, in the monitor room, the four heroes in training were standing at attention in front of All Might and the rest of the class, with both of the villains still extremely pale, albeit for different reasons.

" **Hmm...I'd say the best in this match was...young Hagakure!** " shouted All Might surprising the invisible girl who pointed at herself.

"Uh? Me?! But...why?! I mean...Midoriya did most of the job!"

" **I wonder why I could possibly think so~? WHO KNOWS WHY?!** " asked/shouted their sensei to the class.

"Yes, All Might-sensei." Momo raised a hand "It's because Hagakure was the one who adapted the most to the situation." she pointed at Katsuki "Having watched the fight, Bakugo's behavior was clearly driven by some personal grudge, and thus totally arbitrary. Furthermore, that large range attack used by him could have caused serious damage to the whole structure if it hadn't been stopped by Midoriya. Using an attack like that indoors is completely nonsensical." she moved the finger toward Hanta "Despite the good start with the disposition of his traps, Sero lost the villain mindset as soon as he caught Hagakure and not only was he fooled by an old trick but he didn't react in time. If it had not been for his traps, his team would have lost at that moment." she looked at Izuku "Despite having always kept control of the situation, he forced Bakugo's hand to use that large range attack when he could have stopped him much earlier, moreover with that last flaming attack he seriously endangered Bakugo." lastly she moved her gaze to Toru "She acted well and, despite being caught twice, Hagakure was able to use Sero's mentality against him to free herself and fight back, even if it did not help much in the end."

A deep silence fell in the room while everyone looked at Momo with incredulous eyes.

' _ **Holy...! She said everything!**_ ' thought All Might smiling at her " **W-Well...that's correct! Good job!** "

After that brief but impressive summary, Katsuki and Hanta were sent to the infirmary just in case, and the rest of the trials went smoothly.

Team heroes B defeated team villains I. Shoto used his Ice Quirk to freeze the entire building, thus limiting Tenya and Mashirao's movements while Ochaco, after having annulled the gravity of her body, jumped to the floor where the bomb was held, managing to recover it.

Team villains C defeated team heroes E. Since there were no animals to control, Koji was immediately immobilized by the long tongue of Tsuyu, while Eijiro, after a fierce fight with his fists, was defeated by the superior strength of Mezo who blocked him until the time limit.

Team heroes H defeated team villains F. After swallowing some sugar, Rikido had started running like a bull against their opponents, and Minoru's sticky balls weren't enough to stop him while Yuga was immediately incapacitated by Momo who, after creating a paintball gun, had used it to hit him in the face, blinding him momentarily, before immobilizing the blond guy with the capture tape.

Team villains J defeated team heroes G. After a first moment of stalemate, the situation had quickly worsened when Denki had run out of battery, becoming completely useless, before being captured by Kyoka, while Mina found herself against Fumikage's shadow, and unfortunately her acid was not enough to guarantee her victory.

" **Good work, everyone!** " shouted All Might looking at the class in front of him " **Nobody was seriously hurt and you gave all the best of you! For your first full training exercise, you all did wonderfully!** " he turned to the main building " **Well now I'm going to talk to those who have been sent to the infirmary! You go and get changed and then go back to class! Good luck with your lessons!** "

Watching the hero run away, Izuku shook his head ' _He's probably near out of time for his transformation. At the very least he still manages to keep it for several hours a day._ '

"Neh, Midoriya..." he looked at his right just to see Mina walking beside him "How did you do that 'WOOOOOOOSSHH' thing with the flames at the end of your fight with Bakugo? It was pretty cool!"

"It's a part of my Quirk. I can create and manipulate those flames that you have seen. I spent several months training with my flames, so I can control them without problems when I decide to be serious." explained Izuku with a shrug.

"Wait...so Bakugo was never in danger?" asked Momo arching an eyebrow.

"No, I had full control of my flames and, in any case, I could extinguish them with a gesture of my hand. However what you said after the trial is correct, it was a dangerous move and I shouldn't have used it on one of my classmates, regardless of my control." said Izuku looking at her.

"Oh...I...see..." mumbled the girl looking away for a moment "I hope I haven't been too harsh at that moment, but being heroes we have to point out our flaws so we can improve."

"We are heroes in training. Receiving hard comments or harsh words is part of the package for which we have signed." said Izuku with a little smile, making them chuckle a bit.

"Oh yeah, Midoriya..." said Eijiro catching his attention "I hope you do not feel offended but when you attacked Bakugo with your flames I...well...I called you crazy."

"Don't worry, no offense taken, although in reality I'm not crazy." said Izuku with a half-smirk "I'm more than crazy..."

"Uh...do I want to know what you mean?" asked Kyoka slowly edging away from him as he chuckled a bit.

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Anyway! We should all go back! The day isn't over yet!" shouted Tenya pointing at the locker rooms as most of the class groaned.

"Spoilsport..."

* * *

[ **A bar in the center of Tokyo** / _That evening_ ]

"Have you seen this? All Might has become a teacher..." said a male voice belonging to a person who seemed to be made of dark fog with two bright yellow eyes. In front of him, a boy with a hand stuck to his face and many other hands attached to the rest of his body, looked through the fingers of the hand at the newspaper on the bar counter.

"Hey, what do you think will happen when they'll learn that their precious Symbol of Peace has been killed by villains?"

"Society will collapse on itself, most likely." said the black mist washing a glass.

"Yes yes...I can already see their faces..." said the boy with a low chuckle before looking to his right where three figures were waiting, the first two were masses of dark-skinned muscles with the brains in plain sight, while the last one looked like a simple human even though most of his body was hidden by the shadow cast by the only light in the bar "So, are you ready?"

"All Might dies and I'll have the money to take care of my daughter, right?" asked the man in the shadow.

"That's the plan." nodded the boy with gray hair and a grin hidden by the hand on his face.

After a few seconds of silence, the man nodded "I'm ready."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 5:**

 **HELL ON USJ: THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS!**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the fourth chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **I apologize for the delay in publishing another chapter but I had many commitments and unfortunately I have a sad announcement to make you. Today, my life as a writer has been endangered by the release of Monster Hunter World. For those who do not know it, I'm a big fan of MH and only today I spent about 8 hours playing but in the end I managed to get away from that joypad so I could finish this chapter!**

 **Now, moving on to the real story, I hope that the clash between Izuku and Katsuki has been to your liking as well as the mixture of couples that I have created to differentiate a little from the original story! There will be many other changes like this in the future just to have some surprises along the way, and speaking of surprises, as you have noticed, good old Tomura doesn't have only a Nomu at his disposal this time! You can well guess that there will be two of them but who will ever be the man in the shadows?**

 **You will find out in the next chapter, the first of a brief narrative arc composed of three chapters that will all take place during the USJ conflict!**

 **A small note, for the final scene of the fight between Izuku and Katsuki I was inspired by a battle of Bleach (those who have read that manga for sure will have recognized it)!**

 **Okay, now let's move on to the most awaited and burning topic of this story! The pairing for Izuku! I must say...wow! This isn't a simple choice for a girl, it's three-way death battle for the top! In addition, the winner will be announced in the next chapter! So who has not voted can still do it but from the next chapter on, the pairing will be final!**

 **\- Izuku x Momo (38 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Jiro Kyoka (37 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Mina (37 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Mei (3 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Nejire (2 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Toga (2 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Fuyumi Todoroki (2 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Ochaco (2 votes)**

 **\- Izuku x Kendou (1 vote)**

 **And that's it! Remember to propose your preferences (up to a maximum of three if you are undecided)! Now I will go to respond to the reviews!**

* * *

 **REPLIES TO REVIEWS**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Izuku x ...": we will see at the end who will win!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Please update!" or "More!" or anything like that: here's more!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "I like this story!" or something like that: you're welcome!**

 **Now, the single reviews:**

 **\- DCMatriXHunter: I intend to show other aspects of Ghost Rider that many people ignore! Trust me!**

 **\- Vedahzii: did you grab the popcorn at the end?**

 **\- Eon: I already have something in mind for when they will discover the truth!**

 **\- Anc1enT: nope, it wasn't him!**

 **\- HotSoup2017: I hope that the costume was good enough!**

 **\- Lightningblade49: he was destined to lose but at least he was not humiliated badly.**

 **\- Serthrek871: I hope not to disappoint expectations with the next chapters!**

 **\- PrometheusDark: you'll see his reaction in the enxt chapters!**

 **That's it for now!**

 **See you around and have a good night/day!**


	6. The League of Villains

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **HELL ON USJ: THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS!**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **Small note: Thirteen is genderless, so I will use 'them' and 'they' for this character.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

Stopping at the entrance to the main building of the U.A., Izuku turned to the main gate with his motorcycle helmet under the right arm. Having a special parking space for his bike, Izuku didn't have to enter the gate like the rest of the students, but nevertheless the huge crowd gathered in front of the school would have intrigued anyone, especially when the crowd was composed of journalists and cameramen.

' _It seems they found out that All Might became a teacher in this school..._ ' thought Izuku looking at the various journalists while they were interviewing all the students who were trying to enter.

"Tell us! What the Symbol of Peace looks like in front of the class!"

Ochaco seemed embarrassed by the question but managed to raise her arms as if to show her muscles "How he looks?! Um...super muscly! Yeah!"

"Tell us about 'All Might, the teacher'."

Tenya immediately assumed a serious expression, more serious than normal, and said "Every day with him is a reminder that I'm enrolled at this preeminent educational institution. Beyond his obvious dignity and presence, he's also quite humorous. As we students are privy to observing his many facets, we've been given the opportunity to discover just what makes a top hero a top hero. Also..."

"When All Might is...wait a minute! You're that kid from the sludge incident!"

"Fuck off." growled Katsuki ignoring the various journalists.

"Does All M-wow dude! You're a mess! Try to be a little presentable!"

Shota waved them off without care "Today's his day of rest. You're also interrupting our classes. Please leave."

As Shota walked away from the swarm of journalists, Izuku saw how a young woman tried to follow him, only to be blocked by the instantaneous closure of the huge armored gate of the school. Shaking his head when he heard the indignant shouts of the journalists, Izuku turned to go into the school, but then stopped instantly, his eyes wide open. Slowly, he returned to look at the still-closed gate and something inside him began to pulse insistently. His Quirk seemed agitated, as if it were trying to get out by force.

' _What is this...?_ '

His hands began to slowly warm up as the skin crumbled slowly, leaving room for bones wrapped in flames.

' _What is this feeling so dark and sickening..._ '

"Midoriya."

Izuku seemed to snap out from his thoughts when someone spoke to him. Looking at his right, he saw Shota standing a few meters from him with his usual expression halfway between the bored and the resigned. The teacher looked down at his burning hands and then looked back to Izuku, straight in the eye "Something wrong?"

Izuku stared at him in silence for a few seconds and, after glancing at the gate, shook his head. That strange feeling was gone...

"No, everything is alright. It just seemed to me to see someone I knew among those journalists..." said the young boy before walking inside the building.

Shota followed him with his eyes for a few seconds, then he too glanced at the gate ' _I do not know why but I have a bad feeling about this..._ '

* * *

[ **Class 1-A** / _A few minutes_ _later_ ]

"Good work with yesterday's battle training." said Shota sitting down at his desk while looking at the students "I've looked over your grades and evaluations." after a couple of seconds, he added "Bakugo, grow up already. Stop wasting your talent."

"Got it..." said the blonde looking down at his fists.

"Also..." Shota looked behind Katsuki "Midoriya, instigating the enemy and wasting time without concluding a fight can lead to catastrophic results. Do not repeat what happened yesterday."

"Understood."

The teacher sighed looking at the various students "Now, on to homeroom business. Sorry for the sudden announcement, but today..."

' _What is it...?! Another brutal pop quiz?!_ ' thought most of the class, holding their breath.

"You'll pick a class president."

"SUCH A NORMAL SCHOOL-LIKE THING!" shouted everyone and then it was a continuous talking one above the other...

"I'd like to do it."

"I wanna be president! Lemme do it!"

"In my administration, girls will have to show thirty centimeters of thigh!"

"The position was made for me."

"I wanna be a leader!"

"Pick me!"

' _Well I think this enthusiasm is justified..._ ' thought Izuku looking at the class ' _In normal schools, the position just entails mundane tasks, so nobody really wants to do it, but in the hero course at U.A. it would mean leading the group...a position suited for a top hero in the making. But I see that not everyone is enthusiastic about this thing..._ ' and in fact, besides him, Shoto had not raised his hand, preferring to observe the unfolding of the matter.

"Quiet down, everyone!" the whole class turned to look at Tenya, who had a tremendously serious expression on his face "Leading the many is a task of heavy responsibility! Ambition does not equate to ability! This sacred office demands the trust of its constituents! If this is to be a democracy, then I put forward the motion..." he suddenly raised his trembling hand "...that our true leader must be chosen by election!"

"This is just a classroom! Not congress!"

"But Iida, we haven't known each other long enough to build any trust." said Tsuyu looking at him, while Eijiro added "And everyone will just vote for themselves!"

"That's precisely why anyone who manages to earn multiple votes will be the best suited individual for the job!" explained Tenya before looking at their teacher "Will you allow this, sensei?!"

"No matter how you decide, just do it quickly..." was the answer as Shota was closing the zipper of his sleeping bag.

And so everyone took a piece of paper and wrote a name on it, then putting the sheets inside a box created by Momo with her Quirk. Subsequently, after a short count, the names of those who had received the votes were written on the blackboard and the result was at least unexpected.

"Fine. So, you president is Yaoyorozu while your vice president is Midoriya." said Shota while the students where mumbling about the votes.

' _I got two votes?_ ' thought Izuku looking at the blackboard ' _I wonder who voted for me..._ '

In less than five seconds he immediately understood who it was because only three names were missing: Tenya, Shoto and Ochaco. Since he and Shoto hadn't had any kind of interaction, there was no reason he would vote for Izuku, so he must have voted for Momo just like Izuku. Thus, the two anonymous supporters of Izuku were no longer anonymous, even though the green-haired boy was particularly surprised that nobody had noticed that detail...

Izuku and Momo stood in front of the class for a brief greeting and, while Momo seemed particularly happy with the result, her vice seemed at least annoyed or disinterested.

"Yaoyorozu was pretty cool while analyzing the battle training and all!" said someone in the class.

"And Midoriya is definitely expert in the field! He can help us a lot!"

As the murmurs continued to grow, Tenya could not help looking at his desk with a defeated look.

* * *

[ **Lunch Rush Cafeteria** / _Lunch break_ ]

"So many kids here..." said Ochaco looking around while eating "Besides the hero course, there're also students from the support and business courses. We all come together for lunch and...mmm...this rice is tasty!"

"The food is really good." nodded Izuku sitting in front of her "So, care to tell me why did you two vote for me?"

Tenya and Ochaco looked at him with surprised eyes "You know?"

"It wasn't really hard. I did not vote for myself. You two and Todoroki are the only ones who have not received votes and I'm pretty sure he voted for Yaoyorozu, just like me. Which leaves only you two." explained Izuku with a shrug.

"I see...well, I think your grit and decisiveness in a pinch would make you perfectly suited to lead us all. That's why I voted for you." said Tenya eating a spoonful of curry.

"But didn't you wanna be president too, Iida?" asked Ochaco looking at him "You've got glasses and everything!"

' _And what do the glasses have to do with all this?_ ' thought Izuku with a sweatdrop.

"Again, ambition and suitability are different matters...I humbly made the choice I felt was correct." explained the bespectacled boy.

"Humbly...?" repeated Izuku while Ochaco looked at their friend with stars in her eyes "The way you talk...Iida, are you...a rich kid?!"

Seeing that Izuku and Ochaco were staring at him intently, Tenya tried to hide in his plate of food "I do not want people to know it, so I try to hide it, but..." after a moment of silence, he sighed "Yes. Mine is a renowned hero family, and I'm the second son."

"Whoa! That's so cool!" exclaimed Ochaco.

Looking at the them, Tenya asked "Do you know of the Turbo Hero, Ingenium?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow while thinking about that name "If I remember correctly, he is a famous hero here in Tokyo. His office should be in a huge building where over sixty sidekicks work. So you're..."

"Yes. He's my brother!" nodded Tenya with a smile while settling his glasses "He leads the people with his unwavering adherence to rules and regulations. A truly beloved hero! It's my admiration for my brother that's inspired my own desire to become a hero." his smile seemed to diminish, becoming almost melancholy "Though I realize I'm not yet ready to lead alone...that's why I thought you were the best candidate for that role, Midoriya."

Izuku looked at him for a few seconds, before letting out a low chuckle, confusing his two classmates "To think that I would meet his brother right here...I wonder if you can get faster than him with your Quirk."

Tenya tilted his head to the side "Forgive my ignorance, but I fear I do not understand."

"So he didn't tell you." said the green-haired boy with a little grin "About a year ago, Ingenium and I faced each other."

Ochaco nearly chocked with her rice while Tenya's glasses were so close to falling on the ground that it was almost comical. Almost.

"W-What?! You...you fought against my brother?!"

"No, nothing like that." said Izuku with a little shrug "That night I had just finished disinfesting an abandoned warehouse when your brother arrived and ordered me to stop. Obviously I ignored him and left the warehouse with my motorbike. He tried to chase me but as fast as you are with your Quirk, my bike is faster. After just five minutes in pursuit I left him behind. I have not met him since then."

"I...I see..." mumbled Tenya still shocked about the news "I can understand why he did not tell me about his meeting with you. All over Japan he is the fourth fastest hero and he never let anyone escape...not in terms of speed at least."

Izuku grinned again "You simply can't hope to catch me with my-!" he stopped in mid-sentence, widening his eyes with an expression of confusion and shock on his face. His two friends looked at him with confusion which soon turned into concern when they saw him start to tremble slightly.

"H-Hey Midoriya...are you alright?" asked Tenya raising a hand to touch his friend's shoulder but he pulled it away when he saw Izuku incinerate the chopsticks in his hand as the skin on his face slowly began to crumble, devoured by flames under it.

"I-Iida..." murmured Ochaco trying to contain the tremor of her body. She had already witnessed a transformation of Izuku, but not in this way and it was frightening her a lot.

"I-It's...that feeling...again...!" growled Izuku trembling even more while his hands were already wrapped in flames which were consuming his flesh like a hungry beast.

"What feeling? Midoriya what's going on?!" almost shouted Tenya feeling that something was definitely wrong with this situation. At first glance it seemed that Izuku was transforming against his will...and that made the second son of the Iida family particularly afraid of the consequences.

"It's...that...feeling... **again!** " this time, Izuku slammed a fist on the table looking for the first time at his friends and they both paled instantly when they saw Izuku's face consumed halfway by the flames with the empty right socket, but the iris of his eye was still visible, giving it an extraordinarily macabre and terrifying effect.

Sitting near them, a young boy glared at them because of the noise they were making but his anger quickly blurted out when he saw Izuku's face "W-What the-?!". His words were immediately overwhelmed by the alarm of the school that resounded throughout the building, surprising all the students.

"SECURITY LEVEL THREE HAS BEEN BROKEN." an automated voice echoed throughout the room "ALL STUDENTS. PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION."

That's when all Hell broke loose.

As a single entity, all the students started running towards the emergency exit without bothering about the order or evacuating in an orderly fashion. All but two students, currently sitting in front of a classmate who was slowly turning into a flaming skeleton under their eyes.

Izuku gripped the edges of the table, melting it without care as his face was slowly burning away. Just when both his eyes disappeared into those flames, he managed to look at his friends " **Run...** "

Acting instinctively, Tenya put his left arm around Ochaco's waist and grabbed her wrist with his other hand, bringing her hand to her chest. It all happened within a second, but for him time seemed to slow down.

"URARAKA! MAKE US FLOAT!"

Ochaco's mind could not even register her classmate's request, that her Quirk was already working and, using the strength of his legs together with his Quirk, Tenya jumped backward, away from the table...just when an explosion of flames destroyed said table, making the whole hall tremble.

Several students were thrown to the ground by the explosion and those closest to Izuku were also wounded by his flames, but that event had the effect of silencing all those present who, paralyzed by fear, could only stare silently at a flaming skeleton who stood in the middle of the room, wrapped in a light haze caused by the contact of the fire sprinkler's water with its flames.

At that moment, Tenya slammed into a window of the room, managing to protect Ochaco from the impact and, when she canceled the effect of her Quirk, he looked absently out of the window, being surprised to see Shota and Present Mic in front of a huge group of journalists. Everyone was looking in his direction, alarmed by the explosion.

"The press corps...?" he whispered, still dazed by the impact against the glass which was definitely resistant. His thoughts about it, however, were interrupted by the sound of approaching steps. Looking over to where he sat a few seconds ago, Tenya widened his eyes as Izuku was walking toward him with the various students stepping aside to let him pass, fearful of being attacked by the flaming skeleton. Holding tight Ochaco, he stepped aside like the rest of the students and Izuku ignored him completely, before smashing the window with a simple fist, sending fragments of glass in all directions and shocking the journalists who were a few feet away from him.

"I-Is that...?!"

"Flaming Centaur?!"

"W-W-What is he doing here?!"

"No way! H-He's a student?!"

Izuku completely ignored the journalists as he ignored the looks of the two heroes near him. Before anyone could ask him something, the roar of an engine was heard in the air and, from behind a corner of the building, a flaming motorbike came up and stopped just in front of Izuku. The skeleton then grabbed a chain positioned at the side of the bike and, with a quick movement of the arm, rolled it around his chest and then climbed onto the motorcycle. In a matter of seconds, the journalists had to throw themselves aside to avoid being hit by Izuku who headed for the main gate, now reduced to a pile of debris.

Without stopping, Izuku darted down the street chasing the origin of that feeling that had driven his Quirk to take control. It was so twisted, dark and evil that even the sunlight had not managed to weaken the control of the Quirk on the body of Izuku, who had never had such problems during the day.

Feeling his target closer and closer, Izuku accelerated again and, ignoring the cries of some passers-by, slipped into an alley just in time to see a sort of black fog at the bottom and a person entering into it. At that moment, Izuku could only see greyish hair and dark clothes but nothing prevented him from creating a sphere of fire in his right hand and hurling it at that person. Unfortunately his target entered completely into the mist which vanished instantly, thus avoiding the ball of fire that hit a rubbish bin, burning it into ashes.

Looking around frantically, he realized that he was alone in the alley and there was no trace of his target, moreover that unnerving feeling had disappeared along with that person. It was at that moment that Izuku came to himself, managing to regain control of his body.

Placing a hand on his face, Izuku shook his head slightly " **Gh...what the Hell happened...?** "

"That's what I'd like to know, Midoriya." Izuku looked back and saw Shota walking toward him while a man who seemed to be made of cement was blocking the alley with his Quirk "The news of All Might as a teacher was not enough. Now that they know you're a student, they will not leave us alone. Care to explain?"

Looking back at where he saw the black mist, Izuku said " **Someone was there. I do not know who he or she was, but they practically forced my Quirk to take control. Since I started using my Quirk, I have never felt such a distorted and wicked feeling.** **All the villains I have faced up to now seem to be school bullies in comparison.** "

Shota narrowed his eyes ' _Probably he was following the same person who destroyed the front gate...I do not like it._ '

"Aizawa, we should go back. The principal will have his work to do with this situation and it would be better to keep a low profile as much as possible." said the other hero walking toward them.

Shota nodded before looking at Izuku "Midoriya, go back to school but try to pass through uncrowded streets, also as soon as you can return normal so as not to arouse too many suspicions."

" **What will you say to the press?** "

"The principal will think of something. Now go." said Shota with a shrug and, after a nod, Izuku left the alley.

"What do you think about it, Aizawa?" asked the man behind him "The situation could get drastically worse now that the journalists have seen Midoriya."

"I know, but it was destined to happen. If not now, for sure at the Sports Festival." replied Shota with a sigh "Let's go back, the day it's not over..."

* * *

[ **Class 1-A** / _A_ _few hours later_ ]

"Well, as you have probably seen or heard, the situation is not the best." said Shota sitting at his desk "The principal has already called a press conference to explain the presence of Midoriya in this school and for sure the journalists will be even more numerous now that they know they can 'interview' All Might and Flaming Centaur at the same time. So, given the recent events, it would be better to remove Midoriya from the role of vice president and entrust that task to someone else."

Izuku said nothing, having no problem with that decision but then their teacher turned to him "Midoriya, do you have someone in mind?"

Some of the other students looked at Shota, then at Izuku and back to Shota.

"Um...Aizawa-sensei? Is it right? I mean...after what happened in the hall..." said Denki looking a bit insecure of his words.

Shota sighed again "Everyone, you must know that Izuku's transformation wasn't spontaneous. Someone or something made him transform against his will." seeing their shocked expressions, he added "Before accepting his application for registration, we did some tests and we are sure it was not a spontaneous transformation. We are also close to finding out who or what caused the accident."

The various students seemed to calm down and some glanced apologetically at Izuku, who merely nodded back at them. He certainly could not be angry with them since they did not know each other well yet, and they had seen him during one of his rather violent moments. His thoughts, however, were centered on that person who he had seen fading into the black fog. Whoever it was, was definitely dangerous if the aura of evil that emanated meant something.

"So, Midoriya, anyone in mind?" asked again Shota with an annoyed tone of voice.

"Yes, Iida is perfect for the role." nodded Izuku pointing at Tenya who looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, Iida helped a lot of students after you left with your bike!" said Eijiro with a big grin.

"True! He was also trying to guide the students toward the exit in a civil and orderly manner!" added Rikido with a nod and the others nodded as well except a few.

"Whatever. Just get on with it...what a waste of time..." hissed Shota glaring at them with narrowed eyes, making them shiver.

After standing up, Tenya stood next to Momo, in front of the whole class "I'll accept the job then! I hope to be useful Yaoyorozu. If you need something, do not hesitate to ask!"

"R-Right...let's do our best." nodded Momo with a little sweatdrop while feeling serene in knowing that her position as president was not at risk.

"Now that it's over, open your book. The day it's not over." ordered Shota and most of the class groaned at the thought of the next hours of boredom.

At the same time, however, the school principal was in front of what remained of the gate together with three teachers of the institute. With his hands behind the back, the little humanoid animal looked at the piles of rubble with a serious look "No ordinary reporter could have done this. Someone instigated this whole affair..."

"Aizawa says that Midoriya has transformed because of the presence of someone extremely evil." said a woman behind him looking at the gate "They are making fun of us..."

The principal remained silent for a few seconds then looked at the others "Make sure no one has infiltrated the complex. Keep the alert level two until we have fixed the gate. I want at least five teachers always present inside the institute."

"Yes sir!" said two of them walking back while the oldest of them, a little woman whit gray hair, looked at the principal.

"What are you going to do, Nezu?"

"or now I will reinforce the school's defense systems with the addition of some security cameras. We can not allow students to be endangered so easily. Today's was just a message, but I am sure that soon we will be forced to act against this new threat." explained Nezu looking back at the gate one last time.

Difficult times awaited him and his school and unfortunately for them, the students were too close to the eye of the impending storm...

* * *

[ **Class 1-A** / _The next day_ ]

"Now, for today's basic hero training..." said Shota walking inside the class after the lunch break "This time All Might, myself and one other will supervise you."

"What are we going to do, Aizawa-sensei?" asked Hanta raising his hand. Some of his classmates had wondered if the pain between his legs had already passed, but no one had asked Hanta about it so as not to remind him of that horrible moment.

"Prepare yourself for disaster relief, from fires to floods." Shota showed them a card with the word 'RESCUE' on it "It's rescue training."

"Rescue, huh...sounds like another rough day." remarked Denki looking at his classmates.

On his right, Mina grinned "Right! I can not wait to start!"

"Come on! This is what being a hero's all about! I'm pumped!" added Eijiro raising a fist.

"I'll be right at home in the flood. Ribbit." said Tsuyu as always with her completely neutral expression.

"Hey. I'm not done..." a quick glare from Shota and the class was again silent. Raising a remote control, he activated the secret compartments of the class, showing their costumes "It's up to each of you whether or not you wear your costumes, as some of them are ill-suited to this sort of activity. The training site is a bit remote, so we'll be going by bus. That's all. Get ready." and with that, all the students went for their costumes.

A few minutes later, the whole class was ready to leave next to a school bus.

"Line up according to your I.D. numbers!" shouted Iida pointing at the bus "Fill those seats in an orderly fashion!"

"Um...shouldn't that be your job?" asked Kyoka looking at the class president who sighed.

"Yes...but Iida wanted everything to be perfectly neat, so he asked me to manage the seats on the bus." explained Momo before noticing something "Uh? Where's Midoriya?"

Just when the others noticed his absence, the young boy arrived on board his motorcycle but with the addition of a motorcycle helmet to cover his entire head. Stopping next to his classmates, Izuku raised the helmet visor "I'm ready, we can leave."

"Why did you get your bike?" asked Ochaco with a raised eyebrow while most of the boys were looking at his vehicle with stars in their eyes.

"You never know when it might come in handy, and I do not like leaving it alone." explained Izuku with a shrug.

"Tsk...bike-nerd..." growled Katsuki getting on the bus with the rest of the class.

Izuku rolled his eyes in annoyance. After his humiliation, Katsuki had become quieter but he was still an ass with many of the others and, although he no longer tried to openly challenge Izuku, the blonde boy hadn't stopped showing disdain for the older boy. In all honesty, Izuku did not care much. At least he had made Katsuki desist from continuing to provoke him to start a fight.

That said, he lowered the visor again and set off on his motorbike following the bus to the outside of Tokyo.

After a short journey of about twenty minutes, during which Izuku would swear he saw Katsuki ready to jump to Denki's throat for something he had said, the class found itself in front of a huge dome-shaped building. After entering, the students were amazed to see various catastrophic scenarios reproduced in various parts of the building.

"Whoa! Look at that!"

"It's huge! Maybe it's bigger than U.A.!"

"Is this Universal Studios Japan?!"

"There's the flood zone...landslide zone...conflagration zone and many others. Every disaster and accident you can imagine." said a strange genderless voice that made all the students turn towards the main staircase, where they saw appear a person dressed in a kind of space suit "I built this facility myself and only recently I managed to expand it. I call this place...the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!"

' _So it really is USJ!_ ' thought some of the students while Mira pointed at the newcomer "It's the space hero, Thirteen! A gentleman hero specialized in rescue scenarios!"

"Uaaah! I love Thirteen!" shouted Ochaco jumping on the spot with a huge smile on her face.

Ignoring the enthusiasm of his students, Shota approached his colleague "Thirteen, where's All Might? I thought he was meeting us here."

"About that, senpai..." Thirteen moved closer to him "It seems that there were some emergencies and he had to go to the other side of Tokyo to stop some villains. He called me a little while ago and told me that he will try to hurry up to be here before the end of the lessons."

"The height of irrationality...he's a teacher now. Well, so be it. Let's get started." said Shota looking away ' _We should be on guard. Just in case..._ '

"Before we do, I have one or two points to explain. Or Three. Or four..." said Thirteen while the students sweatdropped "As I'm sure many of you are aware...my Quirk is called Black Hole. It can suck in and tear apart anything."

"And you've used it to save people in all sorts of disasters!" added Mina with a smile while Ochaco was nodding so quickly that she left after-images of her head.

"Indeed...however my Quirk could easily kill. I've no doubt there are some among you with similar abilities." Thirteen glanced quickly at Izuku before resuming "In our super-powered society, the use of Quirks is heavily restricted and monitored. It may seem that this system is a stable one...but we must never forget that it only take one wrong move with an uncontrollable Quirk for people to die." they raised a hand toward Shota "During Aizawa's physical fitness test you came to learn of your own hidden potential." they raised the other hand "Through All Might's battle training you experienced the danger that your respective Quirks can pose to others. This class will show you a new perspective! You will learn how to utilize your Quirks to save lives!" looking at the students, they saw that they had their unwavering attention "Your powers are not meant to inflict harm. I hope you leave here today with the understanding that you're meant to help people!" with a deep bow, they concluded their speech "That is all! I thank you for listening."

"He's so great!"

"Bravo! Braaavo!"

"You're a real hero!"

While his classmates were cheering for Thirteen, Izuku stared down at his own hands with a faraway look ' _Help people, huh..._ '

Behind them, Shota, who was leaning against a railing, pointed towards the central plaza of the building "Great. First off..."

Suddenly, a light sound caught his attention and, looking towards the plaza, he saw a sort of black hole appearing from nothing, expanding more and more. The pro-hero narrowed his eyes, feeling the hairs on the back of his head stand on end, and after a few moments, a hand appeared from that strange black fog, closely followed by a head whose face was covered by an amputated hand. However, a lonely red eye was clearly visible between the fingers of that hand and a simple look was enough for Shota to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Huddle up and don't move!" shouted Shota surprising the students who looked at him, thus missing the face of Izuku who was looking at the ground with a strong twitch in his eyes "Thirteen! Protect the students!"

Meanwhile, the fog widened several meters and dozens of people began to come out of it, first of all, a young boy whose upper body was covered with several amputated hands, immediately flanked by two huge black muscular creatures with their brains on display.

The heroes in training looked down as well and Eijiro asked "Who the heck are those?"

No one seemed to notice the sudden increase in the surrounding temperature.

"More battle robots?" wondered Mina "Like during the entrance exam?"

A slight noise produced by the crackling of flames rose in the air, immediately overhung by Shota's voice "Don't move! Those are...!"

" **VILLAINS!** "

The explosion that followed that inhuman roar knocked the students and the two heroes to the ground, attracting the attention of the criminals below. Among them, a man with a gas mask and horns just had the time to see a column of flames before being crushed to the ground by someone who shattered his skull with a foot, killing him instantly and raising a cloud of dust.

For the surrounding villains, time seemed to slow down. They had just come out of the portal created by one of them, ready to kill some brats, when a sudden explosion had caught them off guard and, soon after, something had crushed one of them. Slowly, they saw something emerge from the cloud of dust and smoke, and all the fighting spirit they had had up to that point was swept away, leaving room for the purest form of fear.

A white skull wrapped in flames.

Empty sockets able to look into the deepest of their souls.

A chain set on fire with a small scythe that scraped the ground.

A slight growl that seemed to come out of the depths of Hell.

Over the years, few things had managed to become so truthful, and at the same time exaggerated, that they could shake even the depths of the criminal world. The first was the arrival of the Emperor of the Underworld, he who dominated everything from the darkness. All villains feared him and many of them had tried to get his attention to be recognized by him.

The second was the opposite of the first. All Might had become in a few years the 'black man' for the villains, an imposing and threatening figure that no villain had the courage to face openly.

However, both paled in front of Flaming Centaur's presence. A demon from Hell with the sole purpose of killing them all, from the first to the last. Many villains had even decided to change lives to save themselves from his fury and many had tried to fight against him. None of them survived.

At that moment...all those stories, all those legends about Flaming Centaur were echoing in the minds of all the villains around him. Some of them fell to their knees, now resigned to their end, others took a step back, hoping to escape from his flames.

"W-W-Why is he here?!"

"We are doomed! He will kill us!"

"This was not part of the agreement!" shouted a villain looking at the boy with hands on his body "You told us about All Might and some brats! You didn't tell us that he was here!"

"Flaming Centaur." said the boy looking at the skeleton without showing fear "I thought the news about your presence at the U.A. were just lies invented by some journalists, since there were no images to confirm their words...instead they seem to be right." he looked at the other students who were again on their feet, looking down at the villains "And All Might is not here...looks like we'll have to lure him out by killing some of his students."

" **You.** " he looked back at Flaming Centaur who was pointing at him " **Guilty.** "

"I do not know what you mean but I did not come here for you...although you've killed many possible recruits for my cause. If you insist, I will kill you too." said the boy tilting his head to the side.

Izuku growled at him and after rolling it over his head, he threw the scythe of his kusarigama towards the boy.

"Nomu."

With surprising speed for one of its size, the creature to his right, which had a face similar to a bird's beak, blocked the weapon with one hand before it could hit its master. Izuku did not seem to react to the failure of his attack, but before he could retract the chain, the creature named Nomu jerked him forward, causing Izuku to fly toward them. When he was close to them, Izuku prepared to use his flames to burn his target, but the second Nomu, which had only its lower jaw without even the eyes, raised both the arms and, joining its hands like a mallet, hit Izuku from above. The impact generated a violent shock wave that knocked many of the villains to the ground but the pale boy did not pay much attention to them and, when Nomu raised its arms, he saw the ground reduced to an expanse of rubble and no trace of Izuku if not the scythe protruding out of the rubble.

"So much for that unstoppable monster..." said the boy looking at his fellow villains "Don't stay there doing nothing, go kill those kids."

The various villains seemed to recover from the shock. Flaming Centaur had lost? He had been defeated? So he was not as strong as the stories said! With a new energy flowing inside them, excited by having just seen Flaming Centaur's defeat, they shouted in approval and turned to the staircase that separated them from their victims.

The pale boy advanced along with the Nomus but after a few steps, he heard the noise of some rubble being moved behind him. Before he could turn around, a gloved hand grabbed his right shoulder " **Hey, hands-hole...** " and immediately afterwards he was turned with a strong tug, making him end up face to face with an unscratched Izuku, who already had his right arm bent backwards, ready to punch him in the face.

Both Nomus couldn't react in time when Izuku launched a violent fist aimed at their master but, before Izuku could hit his enemy, a wall of sand rose between the two, blocking the fist of Izuku. Slowly, to his right the sand began to move as if having its own life, assuming a humanoid form without any detail.

"Took your time I see." said the pale boy looking at the sand mass.

"I'm here now. That's what matters." replied the sand with a distorted male voice before looking at Izuku who was looking back with a growl and his fist still blocked by the wall of sand "He was not expected to be here..."

"I know, that's why you are going to stop him while we go on with the plan." said the boy with a hidden grin "Kurogiri...move them."

Behind Izuku, the black fog had now assumed a humanoid shape with two bright yellow eyes and metal plates on what appeared to be the neck in that form. With a movement of the arms, the same fog from before formed around Izuku and the mass of sand, swallowing them in a few moments, and thus making them vanish into thin air.

" **Now what, Tomura Shigaraki?** " asked Kurogiri looking at the pale boy who looked back at the students, taking note of Shota who was running toward them with a pair of strange glasses over his eyes.

"Now?" repeated Tomura with a sick grin "Now we make sure that the Symbol of Peace come to us to meet his end. Kill that hero!"

Seeing that Flaming Centaur wasn't there anymore, the villains shouted again and charged Shota at the base of the staircase.

* * *

[ **USJ – Sandstorm Zone** / _At the same time_ ]

Izuku stared in silence at the mass of sand in front of him as it changed shape, becoming more defined until it assumed different colors, finally becoming a man in his late thirties with short brown hair, brown trousers and a green striped shirt. The two observed each other without saying anything as the wind howled while raising sandbanks from the surrounding dunes.

"What the fuck?! What the Hell is he doing here?!" shouted a man with scales on his skin after seeing Izuku standing in the middle of their group.

"There was a change of plans. Tomura said I have to deal with him." said the man without looking away from Izuku "You should go away or you'll die."

"Are you crazy Flint?! He will kill you!" shouted another villain before being cut vertically in half, much to everyone horror.

The now named Flint saw the scythe dangling from Izuku's hands while the boy was still looking at him " **None of you will leave this place.** "

New flames rose from the ground around Izuku, fighting the wind of the sandstorms as the various criminals tried to escape from his fury. Meanwhile, Flint's legs merged with the sand beneath him and his right arm grew larger and bigger. Rising higher than Izuku, the man looked at him with a look devoid of hate, but at that moment Izuku did not even notice. The presence of so many villains had practically forced his Quirk to take control again and Izuku couldn't stop it.

All those criminals were already dead, only they did not know it yet...

"For what it's worth, I did not want to go this far, but I have to do it...for my daughter." said Flint before throwing himself at Izuku with all his power.

In response, Izuku gripped the chain in his hands, setting it on fire " **Your funeral, dirt-bag!** "

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 6:**

 **HELL ON USJ: IZUKU VS SANDMAN!**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the fifth chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **I start right away by saying...YES! I'm playing Monster Hunter World! Yes, I love it! Yes, I'm happy that you like my story! NO, There's no need for you to ask about this story in the review of other stories! I remind you that I have a life outside of writing, as well as having other stories to update so if I do not update this fic for some time, do not make a drama, I'll not abandon this fic but I do not want to write ONLY this one.**

 **Now that we have solved the question...the mysterious man is Flint Marko, aka the Sandman, one of Spider-man's enemies! To be precise, I'm using the 2007 movie version because he fits more in the context I'm creating, so do not start screaming that he's not a good Sandman etc...remember my story, my rules.**

 **We have also found that while Izuku has good control over his Quirk, the presence of so many evil people in the vicinity or the presence of someone extremely evil and corrupt (Tomura), they can force the Quirk to come out even in broad daylight against his will!**

 **Now, to some of you I have already answered via MP because I did not know when I would update again. For those to whom I have not answered, if you have doubts or questions, send me a message directly. From the next chapter, I will begin to respond to reviews at the end of each chapter. However, I will now answer the question of TheLastAegis (either because I forgot to answer via MP and because it might be of interest to other people). I used the term centaur to indicate Izuku and other motorcyclists because it is a term used here in Italy but also in other parts of the world. The reason for the term is that, in ancient mythology, the centaurs were beings half human and half horses, and some researchers etc...saw them as a perfect union between human and 'means of transport', and for this reason it was started to define motorcyclists (especially those who drive choppers, etc...) as centaurs or centaurs of the road. I hope I have responded appropriately and I hope I have not offended you, but here we use that term and I spontaneously used it in this fic.**

 **NOW! IT IS TIME! IT'S FINALLY TIME! The most important moment of all this story! That moment that could mark the end of the success of this fic!**

 **THE FINAL DECISION FOR THE PAIRING**

 **Many votes have arrived. Some of you have expressed your preferences to me with long reviews to make me understand your points of view. Others, through private message, even wrote me the summary of some existing fic to show me the benefits of that pairing (such as Izuku x Mina with the fic '** **Awkward Energy – MinaDeku')** **...and finally we have reached the final decision!**

 **At the end of it all, ten girls clashed for the first (and only) prize! So I will start from the last position!**

 **7** **th** **(with 1 vote): 'Izuku x Tsuyu' and 'Izuku x Kendou'! The impassive frog-girl and the martial artist have had little chance from the beginning...but whoever voted for them can always dream!**

 **6** **th** **(with 2 votes): 'Izuku x Toga' and 'Izuku x Nejire'! The psychopath and the Big Three girl receive few votes and, curiously, I think these two would be the most problematic to be put together with Izuku.**

 **5** **th** **(with 3 votes): 'Izuku x Mei' and 'Izuku x Fuyumi'! Both interesting pairings, unfortunately, they did not receive the desired support!**

 **4** **th** **(with 5 votes): 'Izuku x Ochaco'! The gravity girl climbs the ranking but even her Quirk allows her to get so high!**

 **Time to get on the podium!**

 **3rd (with 55 votes): 'Izuku x Mina'! I will not lie to you, it would have been really interesting to see this couple but unfortunately the public voted for someone else!**

 **2nd (with 60 votes): 'Izuku x Kyoka'! The musician girl fought until the end but it was not enough and she had to leave the first place to the winner!**

 **1st (with 63 votes): 'Izuku x Momo'! Our class president wins the competition and therefore it will be a Izuku x Momo! I will add Momo to the characters in the description of the story from the next chapter!**

 **That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you around!**

 **Have a good day/night!**


	7. Izuku vs Sandman

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **HELL ON USJ: IZUKU VS SANDMAN!**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **Small note: Thirteen is genderless, so I'll use 'them' and 'they' for this character.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

Shota avoided a villain's outstretched arm and, passing beneath him, managed to wrap his cloth around his opponent's neck. With a violent tug, the villain was knocked forward, crashing his face into the ground. Without even looking at the fallen enemy, Shota jumped to the side to avoid a huge man with four arms who, in a few moments, found the cloth around his waist.

With a huge display of strength, Shota threw him at a small group of criminals, crushing them all with the body of their companion. Immediately after he jumped up to avoid a blade of ice and launched himself at the enemy who had attacked him, breaking his nose with a knee. The other villains continued to throw themselves at Shota to try to defeat him, but the pro-hero continued to avoid their attacks, succeeding in neutralizing them with his cloth.

" **He's good at hand-to-hand...and those goggles hide his eyes, so we don't know whose Quirk he's canceling.** " said Kurogiri looking at the fight " **Even a whole mob of us isn't slowing him down. I see...Eraserhead is really dangerous as they say.** "

"I hate pro-heroes..." growled Tomura scratching his throat with two fingers "Ordinary villains don't stand a chance against him. Kurogiri...the brats..."

" **Understood.** " Kurogiri nodded before vanishing into thin air, surprising Shota who had just defeated another opponent.

' _Where did he go?_ ' thought Shota before hearing a scream from his students who were running toward the exit with Thirteen ' _Dammit. In the blink of an eye...that guy may be the deadliest one here!_ '

With the class, Thirteen had the students stop when, in front of them, the villain made of black fog appeared from the ground, spreading out to the sides to block the passage.

" **Greetings. We are the League of Villains.** " said Kurogiri with a calm voice " **Forgive our audacity, but today we've come here to U.A.** **–** **this** **bastion of heroism** **–** **to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace.** " most of the students widened their eyes in shock after hearing his words while the others looked at Kurogiri with narrowed eyes " **We were under the impression that All might would be here today...but...it seems his schedule was revised? Well...no matter...** " the tip of a finger of Thirteen opened, preparing for the impending attack " **My role remains unchanged.** "

Suddenly, three figures ran towards Kurogiri, surprising him with their speed.

"Not if we end you first!" shouted Eijiro slashing at the black fog with his hardened arm. Behind him, Denki generated electricity in his right hand and touched the metal part on Kurogiri's neck, electrifying him instantly. The villain grunted in pain but before he could say anything, a gloved hand approached his face and a large explosion hit him point-blank.

Denki, Katsuki and Eijiro landed in front of him, ready to fight again. The redhead showed his arm while yelling "Betcha didn't see that coming!"

For a few seconds, no one could see beyond the black smoke that had formed after the explosion, but then Kurogiri's voice was heard again as the fog-man reformed in front of them without any apparent damage " **That** **was** **close. Yes...students though you may be, but you're the best of the best.** "

Sensing their opponent's move, Thirteen raised an arm to try and grab the three students who had attacked the villain "Get back here! Now!"

" **My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death! Now, be gone!** " shouted Kurogiri and, before the students could react, the villain generated an enormous amount of black fog from his body, surrounding the whole group. Surprised by the powerful gust of wind generated by his power, most of the students couldn't defend themselves but Tenya managed to grab Ochaco and Yuga and then jump away before a dome of darkness surrounded the rest of their classmates.

Looking back, Tenya's eyes widened in horror "Everyone...!"

"T-T-That was a really good jump Iida..." breathed a male voice behind him and the bespectacled boy was surprised to see a terrified Minoru attached to his back thanks to a sticky ball. Turning again his gaze to the dome, Tenya and the others saw the fog spread and, much to their horror, they could see that only a few of their classmates remained. Thirteen, who had used their Quirk to suck the fog around them, and Mezo, who had used his body to protect Mina and Toru.

Slowly, Kurogiri reformed a few meters away from them " **It seems I missed someone. Well...it does not matter. None of you will go beyond this point.** "

"W-What do we do now?" asked Minoru looking at the villain with scared eyes.

"Everyone, stay calm." said Thirteen narrowing their eyes "I'll take care of him. You need to escape and warn the principal."

"What about the others?!" shouted Tenya looking around "We don't know where they are!"

"They've been scattered, but they're all in the facility." said Mezo whose Dupli-Arms had turned into ears and eyes to look for their classmates.

Mina looked back at Kurogiri "Physical attacks are no good...he just warps away! This guy's Quirk is too tough to handle!"

"Class vice president!" said Thirteen catching Tenya's attention.

"Yes!"

"You need to go! The alarms haven't sounded and the phones are not working. Someone is interfering with the system and whoever is has hidden themselves well. That being the case, our best option is for you to go back and report what's happening here!" explained Thirteen still looking at Kurogiri who was waiting for them.

"I can't abandon my class with-!"

"Just go, Iida!" shouted Mina cutting him off "With your speed he won't catch you!"

"There must be some alarms outside. If you can get out, he won't be able to follow you." added Mezo stepping forward.

"We will support you in the most elegant way." said Yuga with a wink.

"Just like in the cafeteria..." nodded Ochaco looking at him with firm eyes "We can and we will provide all the support you need!"

Tenya clenched his fists, not knowing what to do. He couldn't abandon his classmates but at the same time he could not stay there without doing anything.

"Iida." the voice of Thirteen shook him out of his internal conflict "Please, your Quirk to save us all. Do it!"

" **Aside from the fact that you have no hope...** " said Kurogiri advancing toward them " **What sort of fool discusses strategy in front of the enemy?** "

"It hardly matters if you overheard." said Thirteen opening again the tip of their finger starting to suck Kurogiri with their Quirk "You can't stop us!"

" **You say so but...** " started Kurogiri not at all worried by his opponent's Quirk. Before Thirteen could understand Kurogiri's intentions, a black portal opened in front of them and another behind them. The students could only watch in horror as Thirteen was torn to pieces by their own Quirk, destroying their back and the back of their helmet, revealing a seemingly empty suit.

" **Thirteen, looks like a disaster relief hero can't measure up to even the most ordinary of heroes when it comes to a fight.** " said Kurogiri looking at his opponent " **And now you find yourself ripped apart by your own power.** "

' _He warped me! I'm done for..._ ' thought Thirteen before collapsing on the ground.

"Iida! Go!" shouted Mina rushing to the side of Thirteen. Tenya looked at them again for a second before running at full speed to the exit while cursing his choice.

Kurogiri looked back at Tenya, ignoring the others " **My dear...we merely need to wait for All Might to appear.** " and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the bespectacled boy " **It would hardly be to our benefit if you called for your teachers.** "

' _They're counting on me!_ ' thought Tenya looking at the black mist ' _I can stop here!_ '

Suddenly, Mezo threw himself on the mist, blocking it with his body and then Tenya continued to run but Kurogiri was again in front of him, only this time he moved aside to avoid a ray of energy shot by Yuga. Ignoring the explosion behind him, the villain just turned to see Ochaco running toward him and it was clear that the girl was aiming at the metal plates on his neck.

" **Clever, but it won't work.** " said Kurogiri preparing his Quirk to teleport Ochaco away but at the last second, Tenya jumped in the air and, after grabbing his classmate, used a burst of his Quirk to avoid the mist, landing near Mezo and the others.

"That's no good! We are at the starting point!" shouted Minoru crying like a baby "How can we go through him?!"

"We don't have to." said Tenya surprising them with his calm voice "We have already done it."

Kurogiri narrowed his eyes at him but then, much to his surprise, he saw a pair of boots and gloves on the ground, behind Mina. Looking back, he saw that the front door had been damaged by an explosion and was open.

" **I see...that blond boy destroyed the door when I avoided his beam and the invisible girl took the opportunity to escape.** " said Kurogiri looking at the students who were now ready to fight him ' _ **If that girl warns the other teachers, it will be game over. I have to report what happened.**_ ' and with that, he vanished into thin air.

"W-Where did he go...?" asked Minoru looking around.

"When he realized that Hagakure had managed to escape, he decided it was better to change tactics...he probably went to warn the other villains." said Mezo before looking at Tenya "Iida, you should follow Hagakure. She's not fast like you and we need the other heroes to be warned quickly."

The bespectacled boy was about to retaliate, but now the situation was different and since Kurogiri had gone away, his classmates could go to help others. With a nod, Tenya turned and ran out to go back to school and warn everyone else.

"What do we do now?" asked Ochaco looking at the others.

"Why are you even asking?! We're going too! It's too dangerous here!" shouted Minoru earning an annoyed look from Ochaco.

"Guys..." the scared voice of Mina caught their attention and Ochaco, Minoru, Mezo and Yuga could very well see the fear in her eyes along with the tears.

"Thirteen-sensei...he's not breathing...!"

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Flood Zone** / _Shortly before – after Kurogiri's attack_ ]

Shoto found himself in midair before falling onto the deck of a boat in the middle of what looked like a lake. Looking around, he saw bubbles coming out of the water, then followed by several villains in the form of fishes, divers and so on, all their eyes focused on him.

"Oh come on! There's only one brat!" growled a shark-man showing his sharp teeth.

"What a waste of time! Kill him! We need to hunt the others after this one!" shouted another villain.

Shoto ignored them completely and walked towards the ladder at the bottom of the boat while thinking ' _They sent me here because they think I have the Quirk of that bastard of my father? A big mistake on their part..._ '

Seeing him plunge his right hand into the water, all the villains swiftly swam to Shoto to kill him, believing he was openly inviting them to attack him. And indeed they were right.

Only that being attacked by all of them together was just what Shoto was hoping for.

In just a second, all the water around the boat froze, blocking all the villains before they could hit him and, while many of them were still underwater, completely frozen, those close to the surface still had their heads out of the ice.

"Divide and conquer, eh?" said Shoto looking at the frozen villains who were glaring at him "Forgive me for saying so, but it's hard to see you guys as anymore than thugs with Quirks you can't even handle."

"How can he be so strong?! Is he really a kid...?!" hissed a villain wincing in pain due to the ice.

Shoto started walking on the ice, stopping in front of one of the villains who could still speak "At this rate, your skin will rot away from frostbite but I'm trying to become a hero and heroes don't do such horrible things." leaning forward, he glared at the villain "What makes you think that you can kill All Might? Tell me the plan."

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Conflagration** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

"Watch out!" shouted Eijiro and Denki ducked under the sword used by a villain before hitting him with his electricity.

"Damn! Who the Hell are these guys?!" asked the blond leaning against Eijiro who blocked a fist from another villain before smashing him in the face, knocking him out for good.

"Who the fuck cares?!" yelled Katsuki raising two villains in his hands, both with bad burns on their faces "They are juts a bunch of fucking flies ready to be blown away!"

"I have the impression that he didn't understand the gravity of the situation." said Eijiro with sweatdrop.

"Who cares! There are more of them!" shouted Denki dodging another hit with Eijiro but then that villain was smashed against a wall with an explosion.

"Out of my way!" growled Katsuki rushing toward another villain.

"Well...I can't let him do all the work! I wouldn't be a real man otherwise!" said Eijiro hardening his arms "Let's go, Kaminari!"

"Eh? Wha-wait! Oh damn it!" not wanting to stay behind, Denki surrounded himself with electricity before jumping toward a new group of villains.

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Landslide** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

"It seems we were separated from the others..." said Fumikage looking at the various villains around him.

"Ah looks like you're on your own, brat!" chuckled a villain in front of him "Apparently ours will be an easy job!"

"You think so?" asked Fumikage without missing a beat "So why don't you finish your job, since is so easy?"

The villains narrowed their eyes and three of them, behind Fumikage, jumped at him for the kill but, at the last moment, out of his body came a shadowy figure that struck all three villains, crashing them to the ground. The other villains took a step back when the bird-like creature turned toward them, showing its claws.

"Sorry to disappoint you." said Fumikage looking at the same villain "But I'm never on my own. Isn't it, Dark Shadow?"

" **CREEP!** "

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Downpour** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

"Ribbit. I would have preferred the Flood Zone, but even this one shouldn't cause me any problems." said Tsuyu ignoring the rain and the wind.

"Koda." the boy looked at Momo who was pointing an arm at him as the villains around them were getting closer and closer. A long steel stick and a large shield emerged from her arm and Momo handed him the shield "I know you're not a fighter so please, watch our backs, okay? Me and Asui will protect you."

Koji nodded hesitantly and took the shield, placing it on his left arm as the villains laughed at them.

"Ah! She thinks that a shield will help them! Time to teach you a real less-GUH!" the villain was was abruptly interrupted by Tsuyu's tongue, which twisted around his throat before dragging him to the trio where Momo hit him in the face with her steel staff, causing him to lose consciousness.

"As the class president, it is my duty to protect my classmates." said Momo spinning the steel staff in her hands "I will not let you hurt them."

"Ribbit. I guess Midoriya and Todoroki made the right choice when they voted for you." mumbled Tsuyu standing on Momo's right while Koji was behind them, a timid smile on his face as he was nodding.

"Thank you Asui, but it's too early to say that. First, we need to win here." said Momo with a smile on her face, preparing herself for the imminent clash with the villains.

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Ruins** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

"Oi Sato, how much sugar do you have with you?" asked Hanta with his back against the one of his friend as they were surrounded by dozens of villains inside a ruined building.

"Just enough to make our way to the exit...at least that's what I hope." replied Rikido with his fists raised to fight.

Hanta couldn't help but sweatdrop "You are not very reassuring, you know?"

"Take this!" shouted a villain trying to hit Hanta with his claws but the black haired boy managed to dodge the attack before using his Quirk to immobilize the enemy, when an idea flashed through his mind "Sato, how good are you at throwing weights?"

Looking at his classmate, Rikido saw the villain wrapped in tape with Hanta handing him the end of said tape. With a smirk on his lips, he ate some sugar cubes and became much more muscular before grabbing the tape with both hands.

"I don't know, but I can always try!" and with his strength threw the enemy at the others, thus defeating at least half a dozen of villains.

"All right! Let's clean up and then let's get out of here!" shouted Hanta shooting his tape at their enemies with Rikido right behind him.

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Mountain** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

"Stand still, you bastard!" shouted a villain trying to stab Mashirao before being hit by his tail.

"Jiro!"

"I'm ready!" the purple haired girl looked turned in his direction just when he jumped away and all the villains in front of her were struck by a powerful sound attack that forced them to cover their ears to avoid becoming deaf. However, when the attack ended, they couldn't recover in time before being hit by Mashirao's tail, which crashed them to the ground without any difficulty.

"I got you!" screamed another villain behind Kyoka trying to stab her with two knives but, spinning on her heels, she hit him with her earlobes using them like whips, sending him against two of his comrades.

Mashirao landed behind her, looking at the other enemies "I counted at least thirty still standing..."

"Fifteen for each of us, we can do it." said Kyoka but before she could attack another villain, the whole USJ shook for a few seconds, followed by a sudden heat wave, alarming everyone inside.

"An explosion?" asked Mashirao looking around before seeing the shocked face of his classmate "What's wrong?"

"Something happened in the Sandstorm Zone. It was...Midoriya?"

* * *

[ **USJ – Sandstorm** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

Flames and sand danced in the wind as the only two fighters left in the area continued to fight ferociously, trying to end the battle. Even though their fight had been going on for several minutes, neither Izuku nor Flint showed signs of weariness. Steaming craters surrounded them, obvious signs of Izuku's powers and what remained of the other villains who had found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Although he focused exclusively on the enemy with the sand based Quirk, Izuku hadn't spared the other villains, killing them one by one before they could escape from his flames. Meanwhile, Flint had tried several times to stop the flaming skeleton but as far as his destructive power was concerned, the sandman was clearly at a disadvantage and the only reason he had managed to survive for so long was the huge desert area in which they were fighting.

With a demonic roar, Izuku flung his chain to hit Flint, managing to wrap it around his right arm but, almost instantly, the whole arm became simple sand, knocking down the chain and the sickle. Izuku growled in exasperation. Since they had started fighting, he hadn't yet managed to hurt his opponent permanently. The mere brute force had been useless as Flint could become sand at will, so Izuku had tried with his flames, but the entire desert around them had become a sort of shield for Flint who had used it to defend himself.

Dissolving himself in the sand around him, Flint vanished from the sight of Izuku only to reappear behind him with his right arm much bigger than before. When Izuku noticed his presence, he turned to protect himself, but the huge fist, now hard as steel, impacted with his skull, cracking it in several places. The power behind the fist threw Izuku several meters away, making him bounce off the sand dunes.

When he managed to stop, Izuku immediately turned to his opponent as the cracks on his skull healed quickly, but Flint had vanished again. At that moment, a tentacle of sand twisted around his ankle before lifting him up into the air. Looking down, Izuku saw that it was Flint's right arm, but before he could destroy it, his opponent turned his left hand into a huge, smooth block of compressed sand. Without giving the flaming skeleton time to react, Flint crashed him into the sand, cracking both Izuku's bones and the block of sand, then compress his body using his right hand after turning it into a block similar to the other.

At the moment of impact, Flint heard the sound of Izuku's bones as they broke under the pressure of his sand but, through the thin slit that divided the two blocks, he saw a light grow brighter and brighter. Widening his in surprise, Flint turned again into sand before a violent explosion broke out between the two blocks, destroying everything within a radius of dozens of meters and shaking the entire structure for a few seconds.

Reforming slowly at a safe distance, Flint saw the consequences of that explosion, which was a huge crater in the center of which was Izuku with the costume ruined in several places. The boy was several meters below him and under his feet there was reinforced concrete, a sign that he had reached the "bottom" of that area. Looking around, Flint noticed that in many places the sand had been turned into glass and some pieces of glass were about to melt.

' _The heat produced by his flames has increased exponentially even if only for a few moments. At least two thousand degrees Celsius if he managed to turn_ _my_ _sand into glass and melt it..._ ' thought Flint looking back at Izuku who was now glaring at him ' _Could it be that he can not_ _maintain_ _certain temperatures without destroying himself? Or maybe he did it so as not to put the other students at risk?_ _A_ _temperature_ _too high_ _could have serious consequences on those who can not sustain them..._ '

Still clutching the chain in his hands, Izuku tried to hit his enemy after inflaming it but this time Flint put both his hands in the sand below him and created a sand wall in front of him with which he blocked the chain. Before Izuku could recover his weapon, Flint changed the sand wall into his arms and broke the chain with a violent tug, throwing the end with the sickle on the ground, then letting the rest go. Izuku looked at his weapon now destroyed and with a deep growl, he threw it to the ground, before looking back at his opponent.

Without wasting time, Izuku jumped toward Flint creating two balls of fire that he threw with precision but instead of aiming directly at Flint, he aimed at the sand beneath him. His opponent seemed to guess his intentions and immediately created a sand wall in front of him to protect himself.

The balls of fire hit the wall without being able to destroy it, but Izuku did not even notice, and when he landed in front of the wall, he put his hands on it. On the other side, Flint barely managed to notice the temperature increase and dissolved into the sand below before a huge cone of flames could hit him. The flames devoured the sand in front of Izuku, turning it into glass or melted sand, surprising Flint who had just reformed several meters away.

' _He was not aiming at me but at the sand. He must have understood that the less sand there is, the less strong I am._ ' thought Flint with narrowed eyes ' _I must end this fight quickly._ '

Sensing Flint's presence on his right, Izuku turned to face him but a huge sandblast hit him in the face, sending him into the air. Before he could react, Flint started to hit him with a long series of attacks from different directions without letting him fall to the ground. After he managed to launch Izuku upward with his face turned towards the ceiling, Flint stopped him before piercing his chest with several blades of compressed sand, breaking his ribcage. However, he immediately saw that the sand in Izuku's body had already been destroyed by the flames, so he decided to move on to something more drastic.

Destroying a sand tentacle with an explosion of flames, Izuku found himself with his chest wrapped in the sand and a moment later, the sand began to pull.

In two different directions.

In spite of the complete absence of flesh on his bones, a grisly sound echoed in the air when Flint broke Izuku in half, throwing his waist and legs to the ground but holding his upper body in mid-air using his right arm. Without wasting any further time, Flint used his left hand to grab Izuku's skull and began to squeeze it while trying to tear it away from the rest of his body. However, this prevented him from noticing that under them the ground was starting to overheat more and more thanks to Izuku's powers, until the flaming skeleton managed to generate violent flames that surrounded them in an instant. Flint stared down for a moment, then looked back at Izuku, and though he no longer had eyes, Flint was sure his opponent was staring at him.

Before he could defend himself, a huge column of flames rose upward, engulfing the two fighters. The flames were dispersed within a few seconds, but in the end what remained was a perfectly regenerated Izuku with his skull still tight in Flint's hand, who was now completely turned into glass.

Without even trying, Izuku shattered Flint's hand and turned to leave but after a single step, his gaze landed on the ground below him, where he saw fragments of glass moving to a point behind him. As soon as he saw those fragments, a glass blade pierced his chest from behind, lifting him slightly off the ground. Turning his head slightly, Izuku saw that Flint had not been defeated and indeed he was still fighting even though he had become glass, but most of his body was slowly coming back to be sand.

With a slight growl, his flames melted the blade of glass and Izuku turned again to face his opponent, hitting him instantly with a violent blaze before Flint could turn entirely into sand. His flames, however, didn't diminish in power and continued to burn Flint until he was completely dissolved, leaving only a steaming puddle on the vitrified soil.

Izuku stared for a few seconds at the puddle, ignoring the sand around him that was moving in a certain direction " **You can create all the clones you want...but I know you're still here.** " an imposing shadow obscured Izuku and the surrounding ground as a slight tremor shook the entire structure. Slowly, Izuku turned to look at a huge humanoid made entirely of sand and as tall as an eight-story building. Despite the absence of color and facial details, Izuku knew full well that the giant was Flint.

The sandman looked down at his opponent, raising his right arm. Izuku stood on the spot waiting for the blow and, when the huge hand hit the sandy ground, a violent shock wave threw tons of sand into the air, creating huge cracks in the domed ceiling. Instead of raising his arm, Flint applied even more pressure to completely crush Izuku, turning his other hand into a giant hammer.

' _I have to try and lock him under as much sand as possible. If he tries to use his flames he will remain stuck in the glass, be it solid or liquefied._ ' thought Flint raising the hammer but before he could hit the spot where Izuku was buried, a column of fire, much larger than the previous one, burned his right hand and part of the arm, forcing Flint to take a few steps back.

' _So much power...how can he be so strong? His flames are perhaps even more powerful than those of Endeavor_ _and the Human Torch_ _..._ '

So focused on the flames of his opponent, Flint did not notice the imminent attack until it was too late and a huge fist wrapped in flames hit him in the face, destroying the whole head. Staggering backwards, it took him a few seconds to recreate his head and when he looked at his opponent, Flint could not help but widen his eyes in shock because there, in front of him, there was an Izuku as tall as him, if not even more.

' _Impossible...I thought his Quirk was something connected to the flames. Don't tell me that he also has a Gigantification Quirk!_ '

With a powerful roar, Izuku took a step forward, shaking the entire area before throwing a ball of fire at Flint, hitting him in the chest. The sand colossus seemed to ignore the attack and, recreating his right arm, turned it into a hammer like his left hand. Using all his strength, Flint tried to hit Izuku with both hammers to crush his skull but Izuku raised his arms using his forearms to defend himself and the impact generated two powerful shock waves that made the area tremble even more, causing many debris to fall from the ceiling.

With his arms busy, Izuku tilted his head back before throwing up a huge amount of flames on his opponent. The heat combined with the power of the attack greatly weakened Flint, who was now reaching his limit and the sand present around the two giants was being consumed in large quantities by both the flames of Izuku and the Quirk of Flint, who was using it to regenerate his body.

Feeling the weakening of his opponent, Izuku used his strength to wipe away Flint's arms while creating a ball of fire in his right hand. The sandman then tried to concentrate most of the sand to recreate his left arm and defend himself, but Izuku also disintegrated that last defense to thrust the ball of fire into the body of the sand colossus. In a violent explosion of flames, the entire Sandstorm Zone was virtually destroyed, causing the ceiling to collapse and damaging the entire USJ, which shook for several seconds. At the end of the explosion and subsequent devastation, Izuku was enveloped by his flames before returning to his original height.

Looking around, the flaming skeleton seemed to concentrate on a large pile of debris that were thrown away in a few seconds. Looking down, he saw the defeated form of Flint, whose body was only partly still whole, since his legs and right arm were missing but there was no sign of regeneration for the time being.

The man stared at his opponent with heavy breathing, barely opening his eyes due to the light produced by the flames, but this did not prevent him from seeing Izuku for what he seemed.

"A...demon..."

With no energy left to fight, Flint closed his eyes as he saw Izuku raise his right arm, preparing for his imminent end, but no attack came and a whistle was heard in the air. Confused by that sound, he opened his eyes again only to see Izuku with two fingers between his teeth, as if he had just whistled. In a few seconds, a roar was heard in the distance and shortly after a flaming motorcycle came to the back of Izuku, stopping a few inches from him. Without waiting a second, Izuku turned to his vehicle and climbed into the saddle but Flint's voice prevented him from leaving immediately.

"Why...?" asked the man, raising his head "Why...not...kill me...?"

" **You.** " Izuku said before turning around to watch him one last time " **Innocent.** "

Surprised by his words, Flint could only look at Izuku with confusion as he drove his bike to the edge of the Sandstorm Zone, soon fading from his sight. Feeling the weariness grow ever more oppressive, Flint rested his head on the ground, closing his eyes slowly "Me...innocent...?"

Soon after, unconsciousness prevailed over him.

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Downpour** **Zone** / _A_ _fter Kurogiri's attack_ ]

Momo couldn't help but curse when a villain managed to open a cut on her arm with a dagger, making her bleed profusely. A new wound that was added to the list of wounds received since she found herself in that Hell with her classmates.

Behind her, Koji was barely conscious on the ground with a nasty wound on his belly and his blood-stained hands trying to stop the bleeding, while Tsuyu was at his side to protect him in case some villain managed to get past Momo, the only one to keep them at bay at the exit of the alley where they had taken refuge.

In the last few minutes the situation had degenerated to extreme levels. After a first moment of apparent victory, the villains had exploited Koji's situation to attack him. Neither the seismic shocks that had shaken the area nor the sudden heatwave had served to make them run away and when one of those villains had managed to stab Koji, the situation had worsened further.

' _I don't know how long I can go on with this...I'm running out of energy and there are still at least twenty enemies._ ' thought Momo hitting a villain in the face with her staff but at that moment another criminal succeeded in grasping her staff before kicking Momo away, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Time for some payback, bitch." said the villain with a huge grin "We'll have some fun with you and that frog-girl before killing you!"

The villains behind him rejoiced at his words but soon the screams of many of them turned into shouts of terror and fear. The villain who had struck Momo up turned to see what was happening and the last thing he saw was a dart of flames flying towards his face.

Momo, Tsuyu and a very pale Koji could only watch in silence as all the villains were reduced to heaps of ashes by fire attacks and, seconds later, a motorbike wrapped in flames passed in front of the alley without stopping, heading towards the center of the USJ.

"Ribbit. That bike..." whispered Tsuyu looking at Momo "Was it Midoriya...?"

"I...I think so..." said Momo looking at the piles of ash as they were washed away by rain and wind before focusing on another problem "No time for that. Koda is still injured! I will create gauze and painkillers, Asui help me!"

While creating the necessary medications, Momo couldn't help but look back at where she had seen the motorcycle pass.

' _Was it really Midoriya...? He killed them so easily...without hesitation..._ ' a shiver ran through her back making her tremble and the young girl couldn't tell if the cause was the rain, the wind or something else...

* * *

[ **USJ –** **Central Plaza** / _Meanwhile_ ]

Fear and horror were the only things Shoto could think of as a chilling sound of broken bones was heard in the air.

In front of him, a few meters away, his teacher was crushed to the ground with both arms broken in several places. The huge Nomu with the bird's beak made a sharp and inhuman sound while behind him Tomura watched everything with a hidden grin.

"Meet the Anti-Symbol of Peace. The bio-engineered...Nomu!"

' _He snapped my arms like twigs...! Looking at any part of his body should be enough to nullify him!_ ' thought Shota gritting his teeth in pain ' _That means...this is base strength! He's easily strong as All Might!_ '

"Canceling out Quirks...pretty cool, but nothing special." said Tomura walking toward Shota "Against something like Nomu, you might as well be Quirkless."

' _I have to think about something but I'm pretty sure..._ ' thought Shoto looking at the second Nomu behind Tomura ' _...that the other one will do something as soon as I try to intervene._ ' and just when he was about to attack with an area attack, Kurogiri reappeared behind Tomura.

"Kurogiri. Is Thirteen dead?"

" **He's incapacitated, maybe dead...but there were some students I couldn't warp away. One of them escaped.** "

"Oh?" Tomura looked back at him scratching his neck "Kurogiri...you...I'd turn you to dust if you weren't our ticket out of here. We don't stand a chance against dozens of pros. It's game over man, game over...for now." looking away he added "We're leaving."

' _They are leaving?_ ' thought Shota with a raised eyebrow ' _They did all this mess to kill All Might and then they leave just like that? What's wrong with these guys...?_ '

"But before that..." said Tomura catching his attention, which soon turned into anxiety when Tomura looked right at him "Let's leave at least one dead kid..." in a burst of incredible speed, he was in front of the boy with his right hand a few inches from the face of Shoto "...to wound the pride of the Symbol of Peace!"

"Wha-!"

Shota couldn't say anything that Tomura's fingers touched his face but strangely nothing happened. After a few seconds of silence, the villains slowly turned to Shoto, noting his bright red eyes "You really are pretty cool...Erased Head."

The Nomu who kept Shota firmly crushed his head in the ground but those few moments of distraction were all that you need to Shoto to create several spikes of ice in front of him, however Tomura avoided them all with a leap backward. Trying to hit him again, the son of Endeavor created more ice but with a simple call from Tomura, the Nomu with the beak stood before him and with one fist destroyed all the ice coming, shocking the Shoto.

' _A single punch was enough for him? Not even that bastard of my father would be able to do something like that...how strong is that creature?_ ' thought Shoto preparing himself for another attack but then, the sound of an engine was heard in the air, and from some not-so-distant trees a motorcycle flew into the air with a skeleton dressed in black riding it.

Izuku landed not far from the group and everyone turned to him without reacting immediately upon his arrival.

"Flaming Centaur..." said Tomura "If you're here it means that pile of sand has failed. Figured if I could trust an American with such a task. I guess we'll have to take care of you."

Without giving him the opportunity to speak further, Izuku accelerated towards Tomura to hit him, but the second Nomu intercepted him in a few moments, lifting the bike and hurling it in the distance with Izuku. Without waiting any longer, the eyeless Nomu took a huge leap to follow Izuku as Tomura returned to look at Shoto.

"Now...should we resume our-!"

 **BOOM!**

A deafening noise echoed in the USJ as what remained of two steel gates crashed in the center of the plaza, risking to crush some villains. Everyone turned towards the entrance where a large cloud of dust and smoke had been generated and in the silence that followed that violent noise, the sound of footsteps echoed in the air as a figure began to emerge from the smoke.

" **I had a bad feeling, so I tore myself away from the my chat with the principal and came here.** "

Mina, Ochaco and Minoru could only cry tears of joy at hearing his words, while Yuga and Mezo looked in awe at his imposing figure.

" **I passed young Iida and young Hagakure on my way and got a rough idea of what had happened.** "

Grinding his teeth, his figure soon became visible to all the remaining villains who could only watch him while intimidated by his aura of power.

' _ **Good grief, it really makes me angry. Thinking about how frightening it must have been for the children...and how hard my juniors fought...but that's why I must proudly say...!**_ '

Slamming a foot on the ground thus creating cracks in the floor, he tore off his tie with brute force.

" **It's fine now!** **I AM HERE!** "

"All Might!" cried Ochaco wiping away her tears while the villains stepped back from him.

"It's really him..."

"It's my first time seeing him in person..."

"He looks so intimidating..."

"A-All Might..." the desperate voice of Mina caught his attention but then, he saw the unmoving form of Thirteen "T-Thirteen-sensei...he...he..."

Widening his eyes, All Might quickly approached the hero on the ground, looking in horror at the wounds they had suffered. Thirteen was not like most people, as they didn't have a real body and their suit had been specially designed to allow them to move freely, but now that the suit had been almost completely destroyed...

" **Thirteen...** "

Slowly, All Might placed a hand near the base of their helmet to feel the equivalent of a heartbeat that, in the case of Thirteen, was equivalent to a kind of faint vibration that could be felt by touching his suit.

Upon touching the suit, All Might felt nothing. What lay in front of him was only an empty suit.

Thirteen, the Space Hero, was dead.

A dark silence fell on the small group as All Might kept staring at Thirteen's suit, his face shadowed by the overhead lights.

"A-All Might...?" whispered Mina feeling suddenly frightened by the presence of the hero in front of her.

" **Everyone.** " his voice made them shiver instantly and both Minoru and Yuga stepped back unconsciously " **Stay here.** " and with those words, he vanished into thin air, surprising the students. A moment later, screams of pain rose in the air and they barely had time to look in the plaza, where All Might had already wiped out most of the villains, who fell to the ground with broken limbs.

He gently took Shota in his arms ' _ **Sorry, Aizawa. I was too late...**_ '

Turning to Tomura and the others, a sudden blue glow lit up in his eyes and a moment later, Shoto found himself at his side with the unconscious Eraser Head, as the hand on Tomura's face fell to the ground as if it had been hit by someone.

" **Young Todoroki.** " said All Might catching the attention of the student " **Go to the entrance. I'm leaving Aizawa to you. He's unconscious. Hurry!** "

Shoto looked at him with a worried expression "All Might, that villain with the beak...he destroyed my ice with just one punch, he is probably as strong as you."

" **Young Todoroki.** " All Might didn't look back, preferring to keep his eyes on Tomura " **Go.** "

Settling Shota over his shoulders, the student nodded to the hero and ran off to the entrance, leaving All Might alone. Meanwhile, Tomura had bowed to pick up the hand that covered his face, placing it slowly where it was before.

"Throwing punches to save people...ah ah ah...that's our state-sponsored violence." said Tomura slowly turning toward All Might with a sick grin "You're fast. Too fast to keep up with, but non as fast as expected. Could it really be true...? That you are-!"

The words died in his throat and his grin vanished from his face as soon as he saw the expression of All Might, who was still glaring at him.

' _ **What is this...?**_ ' thought Kurogiri looking at the hero with a shiver running down his back. For that mission, they had prepared themselves to the best of their abilities to face All Might, learning all that was possible about him and one of the things that everyone knew in the world was that he always smiled.

Except at that moment.

His face was a mask of fury and rage and the black sclera of his eyes did nothing but make him even more menacing. A violent column of flames rose to the sky behind them and Kurogiri did not even have to turn around to understand that it was Izuku dealing with the other Nomu.

' _ **We managed to get rid of Flaming Centaur for the moment and now All Might is here...**_ '

Looking once more at the hero's face, Kurogiri couldn't help but whisper a few simple words.

" **We traded one demon for another...** "

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 7:**

 **HELL ON USJ: ALL FOR ONE**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the sixth chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **I apologize for the long wait but I had several things to solve and I had little time for writing.**

 **I hope however that you liked the chapter and right for safety, I will explain some things related to Izuku and Flint, in case some things are not clear. For those who were confused by the fact that Flint could continue to fight while being turned into glass (even if he was a clone), you must know that he also has that power, to be able to become glass at will and therefore the flames are not a big problem, until he is dissolved when he is in vitrified form. While for Izuku, Ghost Rider can change the size of his body, it is not a power that I invented for him. Last thing, Flint's innocent here (yes, he did not kill anyone, not even uncle Ben) so Izuku did not kill him but this little detail will be explained later when Izuku's power will be better explained.**

 **And if you were wondering why Izuku only appeared in the area with Momo, Tsuyu and Koji it will be explained in the next chapter. It's an extremely simple reason, you can be sure about it.**

 **REPLIES TO REVIEWS**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "I like this story!" or something like that: you're welcome!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Please update!" or "More!" or anything like that: here's more!**

 **Now, the single reviews:**

 **\- Giltlawyer9000: Tomura? Lose an arm? In the future I could even make a little thought about it...**

 **\- HotSoup2017: Sorry that the pairing is not to your liking but you can be sure that Momo will not be the same as her canon version!**

 **\- acw28: I can only say that Mephisto will not stand on the sidelines without doing anything!**

 **\- Lightningblade49: Hope the fight was good!**

 **\- Ultimate Hunter X: I remind you that in this story Izuku is higher than his canon version and for the means of transport, he is not a Ghost Rider without his bike (yes, I hate the Ghost DRIVER of Agents of SHIELD)**

 **\- SilentXD7: Don't worry, in the future there will a lot of opponents for our Izuku.**

 **\- zen-aku the spirit of the wolf: I explained the reason at the end of the previous chapter.**

 **\- Serthrek871: Hope the fight was good!**

 **\- King of spiders: Sorry, but the ship will ship (bad one Ik).**

 **\- Guest: Because calling characters for their family names annoys me. Izuku is Izuku's name, not Midoriya, and the same applies to everyone else.**

 **That's all for now! See you around and have a nice day!**


	8. All For One

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **HELL ON USJ: ALL FOR ONE!**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

Before crashing to the ground, after being thrown into the air by the Nomu, Izuku managed to turn the motorcycle in mid-air so as to land on the wheels. The impact generated a violent shock wave and the ground below cracked heavily but he didn't even seem to notice it. Raising his head slightly, Izuku saw the Nomu who had thrown him away from the Central Plaza land a few meters away, generating an equally violent shock wave.

The Nomu immediately turned to Izuku and lunged at him to try to hit him with a fist, but Izuku tilted his head to the side thus avoiding the blow, before hitting his opponent with a violent uppercut to the chin. A chilling noise of broken bones rose in the air when the Nomu's head ended with the chin pointing to the sky, its neck now broken. However, in a matter of seconds, the Nomu returned to look at Izuku as if it had never been hit and instead tried to crush Izuku with both hands closed like a mallet.

Izuku crossed his arms over the head to protect himself and when the Nomu hit his arms, a violent shock wave uprooted some of the nearby trees from the ground while Izuku and his bike created a small crater below them, with the bike that seemed to growl through the engine due to the pressure. Suddenly stretching out his arms, Izuku managed to repel the enemy making it step back before hitting the creature in the chest with a ball of fire.

The explosion that followed threw the Nomu several meters away while Izuku dismounted from the bike and approached his enemy which was already getting up, albeit with a nasty burn on its chest. With an inhuman roar, the Nomu tried to hit Izuku again with a fist but he simply raised his hand and caught the fist. Some of his bones cracked due to the impact but Izuku simply tightened his grip on the fist and the Nomu tried in vain to free itself, continuing to pull with its arm.

Meanwhile, Izuku silently watched the creature in front of him, almost interested in what he was sensing, that is, nothing. That humanoid thing was almost devoid of soul, an empty shell. He could feel remnants of its soul and sins, but they were very feeble, as if the mind and soul of that thing, before becoming such, had been distorted and destroyed by an external force.

The Nomu managed to free itself at that moment by sacrificing part of its arm that remained in the hand of Izuku, not at all disturbed from what had just happened as the arm of the creature would grow back in a few moments.

Like a mindless beast, the Nomu tried again to hit the flaming skeleton with a fist but this time Izuku grabbed its arm before throwing his opponent to the ground. The creature didn't have time to get up again that Izuku put a foot on its chest as he held his right hand pointed straight up. Without hesitation, he punched the head of the Nomu with a fist wrapped in flames and in a few moments a huge column of fire was generated around them, slowly consuming the monster who howled in pain, trying to escape but Izuku didn't let it go and in a few seconds, the Nomu's howls of pain ceased as its body was slowly turned into ashes.

A few seconds later, with only one movement of the arm, the flames dissipated and the remains of the Nomu crumbled on themselves while Izuku had already turned to return to his motorcycle when a small seismic shock caught his attention and, not far away, he saw some trees thrown into the air.

Slightly lowering his gaze, Izuku saw a large cloud of dust grow with the passing of seconds and whatever had raised it, it was coming towards him.

* * *

[ **USJ – Central Plaza** / _Shortly before_ ]

"Nomu!"

Tomura's cry was all that the Nomu with the beak needed to shoot forward and intercept the All Might fist, which had immediately aimed at the young boy. The pro-hero, however, struck the Nomu in the chest but the creature didn't seem to suffer any damage and tried to grab All Might by the arms, but he jumped back.

' _ **No damage at all?**_ ' thought All Might with narrowed eyes before looking for a moment at Tomura ' _ **If I want to reach him, I need to deal with this thing first.**_ ' and without hesitating, he tried to defeat the Nomu with a quick series of punches to the head but none of them seemed to have an effect on the creature.

Seeing that All Might wasn't able to defeat the Nomu, Tomura seemed to regain confidence in his plan "You scared me before, I thought you would have defeated my special bio-engineered weapon in an instant but instead you aren't able to and you know why?" he took a step forward with a hidden grin on his face "Because it's got Shock Absorption. If you really want to damage Nomu, you'd be better off slowly ripping him apart, piece by piece...not that it'll give you that chance."

' _ **Shock Absorption huh...in that case...**_ ' All Might avoided a punch in the face before going around his opponent and encircling its waist with his arms. Without giving it time to react, All Might arched his body and tried to crash the Nomu to the ground with a powerful suplex that generated a violent shockwave. However, when the dust dispersed, the few students present were shocked to see that a portal of dark fog had blocked All Might's attack, making the upper part of its body appear right under the pro-hero and, at that moment, the Nomu had its claws stuck in All Might's sides, making him bleed.

"So you hoped to drive him into the concrete and seal his movements?" asked Tomura with a raised eyebrow "It wouldn't have work-!"

 **CRUNCH!**

"Huh?!" Tomura could only watch with horror and fear as All Might proceeded to drag out of the portal his opponent, after having grabbed its wrists before breaking them with the sheer force of his hands. After that, All Might crashed the Nomu against the ground, creating a small crater in the concrete under them.

' _That's impossible!_ ' thought Tomura with scared eyes ' _He shouldn't be so strong!_ '

" **You said the best way to defeat your weapon would be to slowly rip it apart, piece by piece, right?** " asked All Might, looking straight at Tomura " **If I were not in a hurry, I might even consider your suggestion.** "

"Tch! Don't think you've won just because you broke its wrists! Nomu was created to defeat you!" shouted Tomura with his voice filled with rage and, at that moment, the Nomu stood up, his wrists already regenerating "See? This is its Hyper Regeneration. As I just told you, Nomu was specially created to fight and defeat you."

All Might stared at the creature in front of him with a strange light in his eyes ' _ **A biological weapon created to defeat me, equipped with Quirks suitable for the purpose.**_ _ **It's not possible to obtain a similar result with simple science.**_ _ **This is certainly**_ **his** _ **work...**_ ' but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted when three blurs darted towards Tomura and Kurogiri.

Two of them, who were Denki and Eijiro respectively, tried to hit Tomura from behind but the villain managed to avoid them both by jumping, landing at a safe distance from the two students. On the other hand, Kurogiri wasn't so lucky, and Katsuki managed to hit him with an explosion near his head, succeeding then to throw him on the ground with one hand pressed against the metal parts on his neck.

"You slipped up, you bastard!" said Katsuki with a huge grin on his face while Denki and Eijiro moved near him "As I thought, that dark fog serves to hide your physical body. Now, try doing something fishy and I'll blow you straight to the kingdom come!"

"That's not very hero-like...you know?" muttered Denki with a sweatdrop.

"Not only have you defeated our associates...but you're all at full health..." said Tomura looking at the three students "Today's kids really are something. Our League of Villains should be ashamed!" he then glanced at All Might ' _He is aiming at me, as if I were the final boss. If we don't recover Kurogiri we won't be able to leave here. If I send Nomu to retrieve him, I won't have more defenses but if what is said about All Might is true..._ '

Noticing his gaze, All Might couldn't help but narrow his own eyes ' _ **He's plotting something...**_ '

"Nomu." Tomura's voice was calm despite the sick grin hidden by the hand on his face "Take out the explosive brat. We need our escape route back."

In a blink of an eye, the Nomu sprinted toward Katsuki, who couldn't even see it move, with alarming speed but All Might managed to follow it with his eyes.

' _ **Fast!**_ '

Nomu's fist hit the mark and a violent wave of wind swept away all the surrounding trees while its target was thrown several meters away, but Tomura had his eyes pointed in another direction, that is where Katsuki and the other two students had just landed.

' _One of those brats has an electric Quirk, but none of them have the reflexes to keep up with Nomu. Which means..._ '

Looking towards the direction where the Nomu had struck someone, Tomura was delighted to see All Might with his arms crossed in front of his face and a big bruise on the left forearm. Not far away, Katsuki and the others watched in astonishment the power shown by the creature which was fighting against the pro-hero.

"T-that thing...i-is dangerous..." said Denki with a trembling voice.

At his side, Katsuki gritted his teeth staring at the villain who had almost hit him without any difficulty ' _I...couldn't see a thing!_ '

All of a sudden, a female voice was heard behind them "Kaminari! You're here too?" and, turning around at the same time, the three students saw Momo come out from behind some trees with an arm of Koji around her neck while Tsuyu was right behind them, and judging by Koji's face and bloody bandages, he was suffering a lot.

"More brats? Uh...at least one of them is injured, maybe our associates are not _that_ useless." said Tomura catching their attention before returning his gaze to All Might and it was at that moment that he noticed a detail first hidden by the dust raised by Nomu's blow.

A demonic motorcycle with its rider a few meters from it, and his gaze was fixed on Tomura.

His heart began to beat faster as his eyes first looked at the form of Izuku and then noticed the complete absence of the second Nomu.

' _This isn't good...All Might is still standing and that damned Flaming Centaur must have killed the other Nomu!_ ' Tomura looked at his two opponents but while Izuku was focused only on him, All Might turned his head to watch the blazing form of his student.

' _ **Young Midoriya...you seem to have lost control again...**_ ' thought All Might before moving his gaze on the Nomu and Tomura ' _ **I need to end this fast, before the situation gets worse!**_ '

However, Tomura seemed intent on making things worse "Kurogiri, Nomu. Slow down those two while I take care of the brats. Now reinforcements will be here in moments and will be game over. Before leaving, however, I want at least to leave some corpses at the feet of the number one hero!"

The three villains dashed at the same time. All Might could see from the corner of his eye that Izuku had already jumped onto his bike, probably to launch himself on the attack, while the six students targeted by Tomura were trying to get ready to defend themselves. Everything seemed to go in slow motion while All Might himself was preparing to face the Nomu again, but then...

"It's fine, Tomura. You can stop now."

Out of nowhere, a strange ink-like liquid appeared behind the three villains, starting to fill with bubbles and growing in quantity to create a sort of vertical puddle from which came that deep and metallic male voice. Someone slowly began to come out of that liquid and in a few moments, a person dressed in dark clothes entered the Central Plaza.

He was tall, almost as tall as All Might, and the black suit was of little use to hide his imposing figure, but what caught the eye was his black skull-like mask with angular pipes at the top and a strange large collar around his neck.

He did nothing, simply remaining motionless on the spot, but it was more than enough to unleash a wave of fear and terror that hit the whole USJ. From the bravest of the students to the most cowardly villain, all of them were frozen by fear. Eyes full of terror and mouths open in silent screams.

All they could see, all they could feel, was their imminent end. A slow and brutal end as reflected in the visions caused by that wave of pure malice and cruelty.

The man just raised his head, looking at the hero not far from him.

"We meet again, All Might."

Said hero narrowed his eyes " **So you're finally back, All For One.** "

* * *

[ **On the road to the USJ** / _At the same time_ ]

A huge yellow and black vehicle, which could be compared to the union of a bulldozer and a monster truck, was advancing at full speed along the road to the USJ, leaving behind signs on the asphalt.

"This thing can't go faster?!" asked Midnight, looking at the back of the cockpit.

"It was designed to be used on rough terrain, not on a paved road!" shouted back Power Loader while driving the vehicle "If I accelerate even more, I would risk destroying the asphalt!"

Midnight huffed before crossing her arms to the chest, watching the other teachers currently sitting behind the cockpit, inside a comfortable trailer with chairs. The only one who wasn't seated in a chair was Nezu, the principal of U.A., currently sitting on Vlad King's legs, as he listened again to Toru and Tenya, the two students who had returned to school to warn them of the villain attack.

"A Quirk able to warp so many people." said Nezu shaking his head "It's a pity that a person with such a rare Quirk has decided to become a villain."

"Now is not the time to think about those things, we must first of all take care of the safety of the students." said Recovery Girl with a stern face "I just hope there are no serious injuries."

"If I remember correctly, there is a well-equipped infirmary at the USJ. We could use that for any injured." proposed Cementoss sitting in front of her.

"Yes, that could wor-!" she stopped mid-sentence, gripping her cane tightly.

Toru and Tenya, both sitting near Vlad King, noticed how the atmosphere had suddenly become darker and tense, all the teachers had their eyes wide open as if something had caught them off guard.

"This feeling..." growled Vlad King.

"Yes, there's no doubt. It's him." said Nezu with a nod before looking toward the cockpit "Power Loader, we need to reach the USJ as soon as possible! I'll deal with any complaints about the asphalt!"

"Roger that, hold on tight back there!" shouted the driver and a few moments later everyone felt an increase in speed.

"U-Um...principal Nezu..." said Toru with a weak voice "Whom were you talking about?"

The small humanoid animal sighed "I would rather not talk to you about this, but if it goes like I think, you'll soon understand..."

Tenya looked at his classmate with worried eyes, feeling that Toru was doing the same with him.

' _What the Hell is going on...?_ '

* * *

[ **USJ – Central Plaza** ]

"S-Sensei...?" murmured Tomura looking at the masked man with surprised eyes "What are you doing here?! Y-You can't move with that body!"

"Don't worry, Tomura. I'm not here to fight with All Might, but simply to take you home." said All For One with a calm voice "Flaming Centaur's unexpected presence is a factor that alone could ruin your plan. Good thing I sent an 'eye' to observe the situation."

As if his words had triggered something, Izuku rushed towards All For One, remaining on one wheel for a moment before gaining speed, but the villain didn't seem at all troubled by his action.

"Kurogiri, send him on the other side of the square." said All For One still with his calm voice.

Without objecting to his orders, Kurogiri took a step forward and, when Izuku was a few meters away, opened a portal in front of his motorcycle. Izuku couldn't stop in time and crossed the portal, finding himself on the other side of the square. Realizing his new position, he immediately turned the handlebars, braking at the same time so as to make his bike drift. When he finally managed to stop, Izuku looked at All For One, a threatening growl rising up his 'throat'.

"So he's really a student? You should start teaching him something about prudence, All Might. If your teacher could see you now, what do you think she would say?" asked All For One and a note of mockery was distinguishable in his voice.

All Might clenched his fists with anger before crossing the arms in front of his chest " **I don't know why you made your return today, but I don't care. If I let you escape it would be an insult to Thirteen's memory!** "

"Oh? So you killed Thirteen?" asked All For One, with a vaguely surprised voice.

" **Yes, I used his Quirk against him. However, I didn't stay to make sure of his death.** " explained Kurogiri with a nod.

"It's a pity, his Quirk was rather special but his strength was the result of a lot of training and a lot of experience in using it." said All For One "His Quirk would not have served my purpose."

" **Carolina...!** " All Might dashed forward to hit All For One, destroying the floor behind him, but when he was about to hit his opponent, the masked villain raised his hand and his fingers turned into strange little black tendrils that immediately wrapped around the chest of All Might, preventing him from ending his attack, before throwing him on to Izuku who had again tried to reach them with his motorbike.

The impact knocked Izuku away from his bike with All Might ending up on top of him but before the hero could move, Izuku abruptly pushed him away with his arm before getting up again. With a demonic snarl, he created flames around his arms which then turned into metal chains wrapped in fire, much to All Might's surprise, and with a wide movement of his arms, he whipped the air aiming at All For One with the chains that stretched out of all proportion, but his enemy raised a hand once again.

"An interesting trick, but let me show you mine now." and with that, he snapped his fingers.

For an instant nothing happened, but then the area in front of him was hit by a violent wave of air that broke the chains to pieces leaving deep gashes in the ground before reaching Izuku, shredding his costume as well as his bones as if he had been hit by an infinite number of sharp blades.

Izuku, now without both arms and half skull, fell to the ground on his back with a loud thud while All Might and the students watched the scene with shocked eyes.

"Air Cutter + Air Propulsion + Five Air Boost Quirks + Controlled Output." said All For One lowering his hand "A nice combination which allows me to unleash thousands of powerful blades of wind in a demarcated area in front of me."

"Sensei...did you defeat him?" asked Tomura, looking at his teacher in awe.

After a couple of seconds, All For One uttered a single word "No."

"Wha-?!"

" **His arms...are growing back.** " noted Kurogiri looking at the form of Izuku with narrowed eyes.

"Not only he can use fire but he also has super regeneration?" growled Tomura "He's cheating!"

"Now now Tomura...one could say that I am cheating too." said All For One "However it is time to go. Kurogiri, if you could..."

With a nod, the villain opened another portal and the Nomu entered it, followed by Tomura while the masked villain looked at All Might "It seems that today won't be our last meeting, however I want to go leaving you with a choice." he raised both arms, pointing them in different directions, before they both grew bigger, as if they could not contain his power "The son of the number two hero, Endeavor, or the heiress of the Yaoyorozu Company? Who will you save?"

All Might's eyes widened in disbelief, while his mind realized that All For One's left arm was aimed at the small group of students not far from Izuku, while the other arm was pointing the top of the stairs leading to the Central Plaza, where there were others students together with Shota.

' _ **This is**_ _ **n'**_ _ **t good!**_ _ **E**_ _ **ven with my speed I w**_ _ **on't**_ _ **be able to move them all before they get hit!**_ '

With that one thought in mind, All Might faded into a burst of speed just as All For One released the power contained in his arms...

* * *

[ **Out** **side** **the** **USJ** / _A few seconds earlier_ ]

Power Loader's vehicle stopped abruptly as everyone else was already leaping out and then rushing toward the entrance to the stadium, with Nezu and Recovery Girl sitting on Vlad King's shoulders.

The first to reach the entrance was Present Mic who entered screaming "ALL RIGHT! WE NEED TO-!" but his voice was overwhelmed by a deafening roar followed by a violent gust of wind that threw the heroes to the ground as well as the students close to the stairs, causing panic among them.

For a few seconds, they all stood on the ground, groaning in pain with a sharp whistle in their ears, then slowly they started to get up. Tenya was the first to turn his gaze on his classmates, noting that Ochaco, Yuga, Minoru, Mina and Mezo were fine and that now also Shoto and their teacher had joined them, although Shota was seriously hurt from what he could see, but not worse than Thirteen, whose body was held tightly in Mezo's arms.

"Ugh...what happened?" asked Midnight holding her head with one hand.

Nezu stood up staggering before looking at the students "Everyone, are you all right?"

Ochaco was the first to want to answer him, to tell him that they were fine, but the words died in her throat as soon as she remembered what happened to Thirteen. Slowly, her gaze shifted to the hero in the arms of her classmate, and when even the teachers the state in which Thirteen was reduced, they couldn't hide the shock in their eyes.

Recovery Girl was the first to run towards them while Shoto, along with Yuga, placed their homeroom teacher on the ground, next to Thirteen. She stiffened as she saw Thirteen's helmet, or at least what was left of it, completely black. Like All Might, she too put a hand at the base of the neck to feel a possible vibration in their suit, but she didn't feel anything. In her long career she had witnessed the death of many heroes, some of whom were also her dear friends, but each time her heart was about to stop knowing that she wasn't able to do anything.

Without saying anything, she shifted her gaze to Shota, noting how his injuries, though brutal, weren't lethal, at least not if he received medical attention quickly.

"Vlad, come here and help me to fix his arms. They are broken." said the old heroine with a firm voice while said man knelt at her side.

"Oi oi what about Thirteen?!" shouted Midnight pointing at her fellow hero but Recovery Girl merely shook her head.

"There is nothing that I can do now. We arrived late."

Midnight opened her mouth to reply but stopped when Ectoplasm put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"Holy..."

Present Mic's voice caught their attention and they saw that he was at the top of the stairs, intent on observing the situation below. Slowly, most of the teachers approached him along with the students and what they saw shocked them even more.

The place had been reduced to a wasteland. The pavement had been completely swept away along with all the surrounding trees. On the right, slumped against some destroyed trees, there were Katsuki, Tsuyu, Momo, Denki, Eijiro and Koji, all of them with various wounds on their body. Not far away, there was Izuku with his body turned into a flaming skeleton intent to regenerate his wounds, but what surprised them most was on the other side of what was once the Central Plaza.

A tall man dressed in a black suit and a mask of the same color covering his face was standing with his arms outstretched. Behind him, there was a strange black fog that was changing shape, assuming a vaguely humanoid shape, while in front of him was All Might. The pro-hero had both fists resting against the palms of the masked man's hands, his shirt was now tattered to show his body covered with wounds but the worst were his arms, completely covered with cuts and blood.

"You never cease to amaze me, All Might. Throw yourself in front of me and use two Texas Smash to counter my attacks without knowing what kind of attack I would have used." said All For One with an amused voice "Since you were so driven to counteract my attack, I allowed myself to add Impact Recoil too, so that I could use your strength against you."

All Might glared at him before taking a step back, raising his arms like a boxer " **I haven't lost yet, All For One.** "

"Obviously you haven't lost. We will have the chance to end our fight the next time we see each other." said the masked villain before unleashing a powerful shock wave from his own body, throwing All Might several meters away "Enjoy it as long as you can...this transient peace of yours."

All For One then turned to Kurogiri, telling him to open a portal but, before entering the aforementioned portal, he raised a hand to deflect three bullets aimed at his head. Looking at his side, he said "Save your bullets, Snipe. Such a weapon will never stop me." and with that, he entered the portal which closed immediately afterwards, taking with him also Kurogiri.

At the top of the stairs, Snipe put his gun away "They managed to escape."

"Ignore them. We have more urgent problems at the moment." said Nezu looking at the wasteland in front of him "Go and look for the other students and protect them, the police should arrive at moments together with ambulances."

Present Mic, Sniper, Ectoplasm and Midnight nodded before running away while Power Loader and Cementoss went to help All Might and the others.

"Principal Nezu." the little humanoid animal didn't move, still giving a sign to Hound Dog that he was listening to him "We have never been hit so hard. These villains are not like everyone else and today's wasn't a simple message like with the gate."

"Yes, I know. They have clearly declared war on us." nodded Nezu with his eyes fixed on All Might and the other students "Once back at U.A., I will summon the school council. I want all the teachers present. We have to act quickly, we don't know when they will come back and now we know that All For One was the mind behind the first attack."

"Yes, sir." nodded Hound Dog with his glare fixed on the spot where the masked villain had crossed the portal "What about the students?"

"First of all, let's make sure they're okay. We'll explain everything to them tomorrow." said Nezu with a calm voice but Hound Dog was sure that principal wasn't looking forward to that kind of explanation.

"There's also...the matter about Thirteen..."

Nezu sighed, suddenly feeling a great weight on his shoulders "We will discuss it tomorrow. For now I want the body to be transported to a mortuary even at the cost of going against the police. I don't want a hero, who sacrificed himself for the students, to receive the treatment of an ordinary corpse."

"Very well." nodded Hound Dog before looking back at the main entrance "Looks like the police is here."

In fact, at that moment, dozens of policemen came along with some nurses who rushed to help Shota and the injured students, while the policemen were preparing to arrest the unconscious villains.

* * *

[ **Unknown Location** ]

A portal of dark mist opened inside what looked like a large warehouse and Tomura came out of it, along with the Nomu, then followed by All For One and finally Kurogiri. The young villain turned to his teacher to ask him something, but a female voice was heard in the air.

"Welcome back, honey~!" from above a large silo a figure jumped up before landing a few meters from Tomura, revealing to be a young girl with brown hair that covered her left eye "Would you like a bath, a warm meal or maybe...me~?"

"Kuin..." growled Tomura looking at her "What are you doing here?"

"Kyahahaha! I'm helping Sensei to save your ass!" laughed the girl showing her sharp teeth "If it hadn't been for my bees, you would have been burnt to ashes by Flaming Centaur!"

"Why you...!"

"Calm down, Tomura." said All For One with a calm voice walking toward a door. He opened it thus showing a small office full of monitors and a large chair in the middle. He took off his helmet and collar by placing them on a small piece of furniture before going to sit down, where he then stuck some small cords in his face, even if only his mouth remained on his face since his entire head was covered with scar tissue. He 'looked' at Tomura "The presence of Flaming Centaur is an unexpected factor and we should have given more credit to the news of those journalists but now what is done is done. It does not make sense to cry over spilled milk. Tomura, find stronger troops! Take all the time you need! It is time for the world to understand the terror you represent!"

Tomura nodded at his teacher before leaving the office with Kuin and Kurogiri who warped them at their hideout. The mist man then walked behind the counter of the bar, serving a drink to the girl.

"So, what are you going to do now, Tomura?" asked Kuin with a grin without looking at him.

"I'll do as I have been told and I will find stronger allies. Those students are stronger than expected, they completely wiped out our associates and even that useless American was defeated by Flaming Centaur, as well as the second Nomu." growled Tomura sitting in front of the counter before side-looking at her "Do you know someone?"

Kuin looked at the ceiling for a moment before grinning again "Maybe...I met him when he was just a masked vigilante, but now he has become something more dangerous!"

"Who is he?"

"Kyahaha! Anxious to get to work, aren't we?" laughed Kuin before tossing her glass at Tomura, who caught it before pulverizing it with his Quirk "He's slowly becoming famous, but I think you can already know him as the Hero Killer: Stain!"

* * *

[ **USJ** ]

It took at least forty minutes, but eventually all the criminals were being transferred to armored police vehicles while the students were close to the entrance, most of them with some bandages or patches in plain sight.

A man with a coat and hat typical of the detectives was counting them "Besides the one with the wound in the abdomen, it seems that everyone hasn't suffered serious injuries."

"What about Aizawa-sensei?" asked Tsuyu looking at the detective.

"Both arms were smashed to splinters. His face is also fractured...thankfully he doesn't have any brain damage, but his eyes sockets have been pulverized. There's a chance he may suffer long-term loss of vision, or so they told me from the hospital." explained Naomasa looking at her, earning some worried looks from the other students "All Might's injuries aren't life threatening. It's possible that Recovery Girl's Quirk will be enough for him, so he's gone off to the nurse's office with your classmate, and I actually have business there myself." he looked at a policeman with a cat head "Sansa! I'll leave the rest to you."

"Understood." nodded Sansa raising his arm.

Naomasa looked for a moment at Izuku, who sitting near the entrance, before shifting his gaze toward Nezu "Principal, I have to go and talk to All Might about some important issues. I would like to know if it is possible to take with me Izuku Midoriya."

The little humanoid animal looked at him with surprised eyes "May I know why?"

"It's because of his...condition." said Naomasa with a knowing look and that was enough for Nezu who simply nodded at him "Thank you very much. I'll contact you in the future days." then he looked back at Izuku "Midoriya, you need to come with me. I have some questions for you."

Izuku seemed surprised by the request but nodded the same as he followed the detective while the other students watched the scene in confusion. However, when they asked why the detective had taken Izuku with him, Nezu told them that it wasn't important for now and that soon they would all be back to school.

Meanwhile, Izuku had just climbed into Naomasa's car "What about my bike?"

"We will make sure it is transferred to your address." said Naomasa looking at the road.

After a few seconds of silence, Izuku asked "Did you have problems at work because of me?"

Naomasa sighed before shaking his head with a little smile "Not too many. When the journalists saw you at school, the chief found out your identity using his authority and it was easy for him to do two plus two, so he called me into his office. I told him some things, omitting many details. At the end he seemed satisfied but he warned me that with another stunt like that my career will be over."

"I'm sorry..." said Izuku looking away before adding "He took it better than expected."

"He is strict but just. He hasn't forgotten that during your career as a vigilante you have saved many lives, including those of several policemen." replied Naomasa with a calm voice "In public he must appear as a firm and tireless leader, but in private he knows that many laws are not exactly welcome among the population. It's also the reason why he decided not to take you to the police station and keep you in jail."

"Sounds like a reliable boss." said Izuku with a little smile.

"Yeah..." Naomasa spared a side-glance at him "So, care to tell me what happened today?"

Izuku sighed "Shit happened..."

"You're talking like Johnny." noted the man with an amused smile.

After almost a minute of silence, Izuku began to tell "We arrived at the USJ where Thirteen explained some things to us, then the villains arrived and I lost control...again. Today it was almost impossible to try to fight against my Quirk...there were some villains with such a dark soul that I transformed almost instantly and tried to kill them."

"Do you remember something of them?"

"Besides the simple villains, there was a guy made of black mist. His name was...Kurogiri or something like that, it was he who brought the villains into the USJ and then dispersed all the students. Then there was the one who commanded them, a skinny guy with several hands attached to the body. He's the one who had the darkest soul of all and looked like the leader of that group because he was the one who gave orders to the Nomus." explained Izuku looking at city.

"The Nomus...?"

"Two humanoid creatures, larger and more muscular than All might and with the brain visible to everyone." said Izuku with a nod "I fought one of them and killed it but from what I remember...I didn't feel anything, as if I were fighting an empty shell."

"I don't like it...from what we know about your Quirk you should be able to perceive something similar to the sins committed by those around you, but even an innocent person should give some results." said Naomasa stopping in front of a red light "Anyone else?"

"There was a man who fought against me, with a sand-based Quirk. He was very strong but above all...he was innocent."

Naomasa looked at him with confused eyes "What do you mean?"

"He's innocent. I fought him while I wasn't in control, but I didn't kill him." explained Izuku with his eyes closed, trying to remember their fight "Before I left I told him he was innocent..."

"I see...I trust your judgment but I think the police won't listen to me, especially after what happened with Thirteen. Any judges will propose an exemplary punishment for all those we have arrested today." sighed Naomasa driving toward Izuku's school.

"I know...it just seems strange to me that an innocent person decided to help those villains. If I remember correctly he said he was doing it for his daughter, but I could be wrong." sighed Izuku and in a few minutes Naomasa stopped the car in front of the main school gate. The two of them walked for a couple of minutes until they reached Recovery Girl's office and the detective opened the door apologizing for the intrusion.

Lying on a bed with several bandages on his arms, there was All Might in his weak form, intent on staring at the ceiling. At his side, Recovery Girl was writing something on a piece of paper before turning to them.

"Oh welcome. I guess you're here to talk to All Might." said the old heroine with a little smile.

While Naomasa nodded, Izuku looked around before asking "Where's Koda? Shouldn't he be here?"

"He is resting in the next room. He needs to sleep and it's better to leave him in silence with two little animals that I let in. Apparently they calm him." explained Recovery Girl.

"So, how are you doing, All Might?" asked Naomasa with a smile walking toward the hero who looked at him with a grin.

"Could be better." said All Might before shifting his gaze to Izuku "How are you feeling, young Midoriya?"

"I'm fine, thanks." nodded the young boy sitting on a chair before asking "I know that maybe it doesn't concern me, but do you know who were those villains? Especially the one with the mask."

All Might sighed before sitting up against the back of the bed with a little effort "That man was All For One...you could say that he is and was the nemesis of all those who inherited One For All."

Izuku looked with worried eyes at Recovery Girl and Naomasa but the old heroine smiled "Don't worry, we all know about One For All. Outside this room there are few other people who know the whole story, and in this school only Nezu is aware of it."

"I see..."

All Might coughed to get his attention back "As I was saying...he is my nemesis. Years ago he fought against my teacher and killed her while I was forced to flee to avoid dying with her. Do you remember when we met for the first time and I showed you my wound?" when he saw Izuku nod, he continued "I got it in my last fight with All For One, not fighting Toxic Chainsaw. That time I defeated him but he managed to escape. I thought I had weakened him so much that I stopped all his future plans, but in the end he came back and apparently he is not alone."

"You're talking about the League of Villains?" asked Naomasa, having received some data from the short questions asked to the students.

"Is that what they're called?" All Might shook his head "Anyway, yes. That boy, Tomura, called him Sensei, and from what I've seen, All For One wanted to help him so I'm inclined to think that Tomura is a form of pupil or student."

"There're also these Nomus. Izuku told me that he fought against one of them before killing it, but the second one..." said Naomasa gesturing to Izuku.

"I fought against the one with the beak and trust me, it was really strong. It could resist my blows and possessed the ability to regenerate at an alarming rate. It must be a creation of All For One." said All Might with a grim face before looking up at Naomasa "What about Aizawa? How is he?"

"Probably in the operating room. His wounds are not lethal but his head and arms have been severely damaged." explained the detective "If you three heroes hadn't put your lives on the line...I don't know how it could have ended."

"We still lost Thirteen..."

"He went down like a hero, while protecting students under his custody." said Recovery Girl with a calm but sad voice "The funeral will probably be tomorrow morning."

All Might shook his head, sad for losing a friend and fellow hero, before looking at Izuku "Young Midoriya, we need to talk..."

"About what...?" asked Izuku raising an eyebrow. Maybe about his own Quirk?

"About One For All."

That was unexpected.

"What...? Why?"

"Young Midoriya, as you have surely noticed, I am no longer the hero of the past. With each passing day, the time limit for my heroic form is shortened." said All Might with a serious voice while looking at the young boy "Today I didn't push myself over the limit because All For One intervened before I could fight at full power against that Nomu, but I still suffered some damage, especially in the arms and now I'm not able to fight for at least a couple of days." he sighed again "What I'm trying to say...is that now that he is back, our last fight could be very close. Although he showed his strength today, I'm sure he's not one hundred percent, just like me."

"So...your next fight will be the last one, whatever happens?"

"Most likely...that's why I need to find a successor for One For All, so that in the worst case, someone else will be there after me." the hero looked for a moment outside the window "That's why I would like you to be the temporary holder of One For All."

Izuku looked at him with confusion. He was about to say no, since they had already discussed in the past about it but the 'temporary' part was new "What do you mean with...temporary holder?"

All Might raised a finger "There are some aspects of my Quirk that I have to explain to you. First of all, in order for the baton to pass successfully, both sides must be in favor. To get One For All you have to assimilate my DNA inside of you but if you were against the idea, nothing would happen even after having assimilated my DNA, same thing for the reverse case." he raised a second finger "The second part that I haven't explained to you before is that if you accepted to get One For All, you wouldn't automatically become the ninth holder of this Quirk."

Izuku continued to look at him in confusion, not understanding how such a thing was possible "Do I have to do something specific to become the ninth holder?"

"Midoriya." he looked at Recovery Girl "You know that One For All is a Quirk that allows you to stockpile your power along with the previous owners' power, right?" he nodded "Now look at this..."

The old woman showed him a transparent vase with some flowers inside, then took a small pocket of water used for transfusions. Gently, she placed the bag of water inside the vase.

"Now, imagine being the vase while the water bag is One For All." said Recovery Girl "Do you think that the water inside the bag will help the flowers stay hydrated?"

Izuku shook his head "No, because it's inside that little bag."

"That's the point!" said All Might pointing at him "To become the ninth holder of One For All and then stockpile your power to the whole, you'll first have to use One For All at least once. With the first use you will officially become the holder of One For All, while I will remain with some leftovers with which I can continue fighting for a while, depending on how I use them."

"I see...but...what's the point of being a temporary holder?" asked Izuku with a raised eyebrow.

"Because One For All will actually be inside you and you will be able to pass it on to someone else when you want. It's a security measure, so to speak. In case something happens to me." explained All Might again with his serious voice "When you pass it on to someone, without ever using One For All, that person will become the ninth holder, as long as they use this Quirk."

Izuku nodded, having understood All Might's reasoning in wanting to entrust his Quirk to him "I guess I can do that. For a moment I thought you wanted me to become the ninth holder."

"No, in the past you told me that you didn't want to inherit my power and I can't force you to change your mind, it's not my style." said All Might while shaking his head.

The young boy nodded again but then a doubt made its way into his mind "What about my own Quirk...? You know that sometimes I lose control of my own body. What would happen if I used One For All while I'm not in control?"

"I don't think you will use it." said All Might with a calm voice "From what I've seen and heard, your Quirk is unique and extremely powerful. When you are in control, you still can not use its full power while when you lose control, we haven't yet met someone who could stop you. Today All For One managed to damage you but you were already regenerating immediately after being hit. I have the impression that none of us really saw the true power of your Quirk. That's why I don't think you'll get to use One For All, because in the end it's a Quirk that makes you stronger physically. In my case I also got my muscular form, but the real Quirk is based on the strength I gain."

"That is only a hypothesis though..." noted Izuku with an arched eyebrow "Up until now I have only dealt with simple villains but All For One is extremely more dangerous than all of them. I can't even understand what his Quirk is! Is it some kind of wind control?"

All Might shook his head "No, his Quirk is called All For One, just like him. He can steal the Quirks of others, taking them for himself and leaving other people without their Quirk. He can also merge those Quirks to create new attacks, as you saw today, and he can also transfer the Quirks he steals to other people. He is also the one who made sure that One For All was created."

Izuku widened his eyes in surprise "What?! One For All was created...thanks to him?"

All Might nodded "Apparently, many years ago, All For One had a younger brother who apparently was Quirkless. All For One gave him a Quirk, the power to stockpile power, but his brother already possessed a Quirk apparently useless, and that is the possibility of being able to transfer it to others. Those two Quirks merged inside All For One's brother, and so the Quirk One For All was created. After that moment, that Quirk has been handed down from generation to generation, gaining more and more power."

"It's a bit hard to believe..."

"Don't tell me." chuckled Naomasa "When he told me the whole story, I was tempted to test him to see if he was drunk."

Izuku smiled at his friend before looking back at All Might "Are you really sure about this choice? Aren't there any other candidates to inherit One For All?"

"No, for now there are no other possible candidates, but maybe during the U.A.'s Sports Festival I will find someone suitable." said All Might and Izuku was so focused on him that he didn't notice the disapproving look that Recovery Girl sent to the pro-hero.

The young boy looked at his idol for a couple of seconds before sighing "Alright, if I have to be just a temporary container then I accept. What should I do to get One For All?"

All Might grinned at him before pulling off a hair "It's simple. Eat this!"

"..."

"..."

"Are you fucking kidding me...?"

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Main Courtyard** / _The next day_ ]

It was a gloomy day, clouds full of rain covered the sky and the thunders were heard in the distance. The entire school had gathered in the main courtyard, where a large photo of Thirteen stood on a wooden stage, surrounded by white flowers. In the first row there were all the teachers and staff members, behind them the first year students of all the courses, then those of the second year and finally those of the third year.

All of the students wore school uniforms with a black band around their arms, while the teachers were dressed elegantly but in dark colors, except for Shota who was still in the hospital. Classes for the day had been canceled for every course and the teachers would then move to the place of the actual funeral, away from any journalist.

As the first drops of rain began to fall, Nezu slowly climbed onto the stage, watching all the people gathered in front of him.

"As you have probably already heard, yesterday something unexpected and terrible happened. During a lesson at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, the class 1-A of the hero course was attacked by a large group of villains. Their aim was to kill All Might, but that didn't stop them from creating chaos and trying to kill the students." he paused for a moment "The criminals were defeated and forced to retreat, but at a high price. Thirteen, a hero who dedicated his life to saving people and teaching at this school, was killed while defending the students. He was not strong, he was not fit to fight, but that didn't stop him and he did everything to protect others. All the heroes should take inspiration from him, because he put the safety of others in front of everything, even in front of his own life. Yesterday, this school lost a unique and irreplaceable teacher, Japan lost one of its best heroes, and I, like all the teachers here present, lost a dear friend."

Izuku noticed that some of the teachers, as well as some of the students, were crying in silence. None of them was showing their emotions, but he could very well notice the sadness in their eyes, even in those of All Might, whose arms were still bandaged.

"This school will go on, each of us will go on, to pay tribute to the memory of Thirteen, one of the best heroes I've ever known. His dream was to teach students to use their Quirk to save the defenseless people and I hope that those who have had him as a teacher will take his teachings with them forever. Thank you." a short but intense applause followed his words but Izuku heard someone talking not far from him, where the classes of general studies were.

"I heard that those in the 1-A were the first to attack and that's why Thirteen died."

"Flaming Centaur is in that class right? In my opinion they attacked to take revenge on him."

"I still don't understand how they could have admitted him here."

Izuku slowly clenched his fists without saying anything. As far as he knew, it could also be true but from his memories, all those villains were terrified of him and Tomura wanted to kill All Might, but nothing gave the right to those students, who weren't present during that Hell, to talk about it.

Behind him, Momo noticed his gesture before looking at him with worried eyes.

A little while later, when the crowd had dispersed and the students headed home, Izuku was standing in front of his motorcycle wearing a black leather jacket over his uniform. Shaking his head to chase away some thoughts from his mind, he started to put on his helmet when a voice surprised him from behind.

"Midoriya...?"

Turning around to see who had spoken, he was surprised to see Momo walking towards him with an umbrella, probably created with her Quirk.

"Yaoyorozu? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I hope I didn't disturb you." said Momo looking at his helmet and then his motorbike.

"No, don't worry. What did you want to talk about?" asked Izuku leaning against the bike after placing the helmet above the saddle.

"After the principal's speech, I noticed how you were reacting to the words of the other students..."

Izuku sighed shifting his gaze to the ground "And what do you think about it?"

"They're wrong." Izuku looked at her with surprised eyes "They weren't there with us, they didn't have to fight against bloodthirsty villains and above all they didn't experience that feeling of absolute terror when that masked man appeared." Momo couldn't suppress a shiver while remembering that moment "It is true, Bakugo, Kirishima and Kaminari shouldn't have been acting impulsively, but it's not their fault and the same goes for you...if you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened to me and the others."

"If I could control my Quirk, I wouldn't have flung myself towards them. I could have been there and save Thirteen maybe." replied Izuku "But in the end he's gone, and it makes no sense to think about what could have changed."

Momo remained silent for a few seconds "Thank you."

Izuku looked at her with confused eyes "Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you saved my life, as well as that of Asui and Koda. Yesterday we were in trouble and we could no longer defend ourselves, but then you came and you...defeated all those villains. If it weren't for you, Asui and I would have suffered a fate worse than death and for that...thank you." explained Momo with a little smile on her lips.

Izuku matched the smile "Well...at least something went right." a sudden thundering caught their attention. They were both close to the school's underground parking's exit and from there they could see how a real storm broke out. Looking at Momo for a moment, he asked her "Do you want me to take you home?"

Momo looked at him with surprised eyes, not expecting that kind of question "U-uh...?"

"It's raining a lot and you only have an umbrella. If you want you can create a waterproof cape and I'll take you home." said Izuku gesturing to his motorcycle "I drive well in the rain."

"Oh no, don't worry. A car is waiting for me." said Momo waving her hand.

Izuku arched an eyebrow but said nothing before shrugging "Suit yourself."

"Can I ask you one thing?"

"You just did." chuckled Izuku "What do you need to know?"

"Yesterday you...you have created chains from flames. I didn't know you possessed such power. Where you hiding it?"

Izuku shook his head "This Quirk is still a mystery for me. When I'm not in control...my Quirk can do absurd things. When I manage to regain control, I remember slowly what happened...and apparently I can even become a giant."

Momo looked at him shocked eyes "A giant?"

"Yeah, I can change my size, like Mt Lady." nodded Izuku "But I don't know how it is possible...I'll probably try to understand it in the future, as I will try to create other chains. Since it looks like a power similar to your Quirk, would you like to give me advices?"

"Yes, I don't see any problem with that." nodded Momo with a smile before showing a more troubled face "Will you lose control again?"

"I don't know...for years I kept training to control that aspect of my Quirk but sometimes I just can not stop it." sighed Izuku looking away "It's also one of the reasons why I didn't want to enter this school. I'm too dangerous."

"Do you...do you know why you lose control?" asked Momo shivering a bit due to the cold wind.

Izuku seemed to notice and, stretching an arm toward her, slowly opened his hand, creating a sphere of fire that began to heat her body slowly. She smiled at the gesture "Thank you."

"You're welcome." nodded Izuku "About your question...let's say that it's related to the wickedness of people. If someone extremely evil is near me, I might lose control."

Momo seemed to think of something "So the other day..."

"Someone had appeared near the school." Izuku pointed with his free hand toward the exit "When they destroyed the gate, I felt their presence and my Quirk took control. Now only extremely evil people can make me lose control but I think over time I will be able to control my Quirk."

"I think you will succeed. When you became 'famous' for the first time, you left only victims behind...now you are trying to improve." said Momo with a little smile before walking away "Thank you for your time, Midoriya. See you tomorrow in class!"

Izuku waved at her with one hand before getting into the saddle and put on his helmet. With a roar, the engine of his motorcycle came to life and Izuku darted in the rain toward his home.

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Class 1-A** / _The next day_ ]

' _It seems that the general mood isn't the best._ ' thought Izuku looking around. Almost everyone seemed without energy, as if they did not want to do anything. Evidently the accident at the USJ had shaken them more than expected.

In that moment the classroom door opened slowly and Shota entered "Morning."

"You're back already, Aizawa-sensei?!" asked Mina looking at him with shocked eyes.

"Glad to see you doing well, sensei!" said Tenya raising his hand, losing for a moment his grim face.

"If you can call that 'doing well'..." murmured Ochaco behind him.

"My welfare isn't important." said Shota sitting behind his desk before looking at the class "So, who wants to quit?"

The students in front of him looked at each other in confusion.

"Err...why should we quit, sensei?" asked Hanta.

"Because right now, I see people who have lost any desire to become heroes." replied Shota, confusing them even more "You are all probably shaken by what happened the other day, and you are right to be so. However, cruel as it may be, that's the real world. Out there, heroes risk their lives every day, so if you think you can make fun of them by staying here just because you're students, it would be best if you left this school."

Those words seemed to ignite a spark inside their eyes but none of them spoke.

"Good, it seems that you are not ready to give up. Not yet at least." Aizawa looked at each one of them "We'll see it soon, because your battle is not over yet."

"Our battle?"

"You mean..."

"More villains?!" shouted Minoru with a desperate voice.

"U.A.'s Sports Festival is fast approaching." said Shota, catching them off guard "And that's why the next two weeks will become a real Hell for you."

"Uh...why is that...?" asked Mina, and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Because by the principal's order, your classes on using your Quirk will become more challenging. Normally this point would be reached later in the school year but after what happened the other day it's better to anticipate." explained Shota before adding "It's time to strengthen your Quirks."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 8: U.A.'S SPORTS FESTIVAL!**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the seventh chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **I apologize for the looooooooooooong wait but I had several things to solve and I had little time for writing. During the summer I am very busy!**

 **I hope however that you enjoyed the chapter, especially for the turn in the plot that is detached from the main plot of the manga, and that is that All For One appeared now! Not only that, the first Nomu is still active and the League has a new member, Kuin (directly from the spinoff for those who do not know)!**

 **Now, with regard to Izuku who got One For All, I hope that the explanation and the change I made to this Quirk didn't make you angry too much. For now Izuku holds One For All but is not considered the ninth holder and trust me that later you will understand why I acted like this! Oh yes, I did not remember if Naomasa knew the whole story but I decided to add him to the circle of people who know the whole story of All Might and One For All!**

 **Unfortunately, no answers to reviews on this chapter because now they are mixed a bit but I appreciate them all, from the first to the last!**

 **That's all for now! See you around and have a nice day/night!**


	9. UA's Sports Festival

**CHAPTER 8: U.A.'S SPORTS FESTIVAL!**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

"You are playing a dangerous game, principal Nezu."

The small humanoid animal looked at the man in front of him without batting an eyelid "Certainly not as dangerous as you want me to believe, Commissioner General."

"Not only did you give a known criminal a chance to attend this school, but you're also protecting him after what happened the other day." said the man narrowing his eyes "He killed at least forty people in just an hour, we can not ignore this too."

"And I can't ignore a student in trouble." replied Nezu keeping up the staring contest "This school helps the new generation and if I give him to you I would betray his trust as well as the trust of all the students who have walked the corridors of this building."

"He's a killer."

"He's a young boy."

"Who can kill dozens of people with a snap of his fingers without remorse, not to mention all those who ended up in a coma because of him."

"There are other vigilantes out there who have blood on their hands, and yet I don't seem to see you so focused on them." Nezu raised a paw to stop him before he could speak "He also saved a lot of people, and it's an undeniable fact."

The Commissioner General remained impassive "He's a student who has killed people. Even with your authority and the good reputation and the 'power' of this school, you can not protect him."

A long heavy silence reigned in the office for several interminable minutes, until Nezu sighed "Very well, if that's what the police want, then I'll give him to you, but before that..." with fast movements of his fingers, Nezu typed something on the keyboard of his computer before writing something on a piece of paper, then pushed the paper sheet towards the Commissioner General, who raised an eyebrow in seeing that there were four series of numbers.

"Those are the phone numbers of Beru Asui, Ganma Asui, Saori Yaoyorozu and Hanzo Yaoyorozu. They are the parents of Tsuyu Asui and Momo Yaoyorozu, two students from class 1-A." explained Nezu looking at the man with unreadable eyes "I want you to call them, one by one, and tell them that the boy who saved their daughters from a group of villains, who were ready to do their worst with them, will be taken to a maximum security prison because he stopped the aforementioned villains by killing them."

Although imperceptibly, the man squeezed the sheet of paper in his hand "Do you think I don't have the courage to do it?"

"On the contrary, I think you have no difficulty making a few calls, but I'm sure that all four of these people, at a certain point, will ask you the question: would you act in the same way if your daughter was in danger?" said Nezu without missing a beat, enjoying the brief flash of emotions that passed in the eyes of his interlocutor.

After a few seconds of silence, the Commissioner General put the paper on the desk "Last chance. It will not matter to me about the situation, the motivation or his condition. If he breaks the law again, he will end up in jail." and with that, he left the office.

Nezu sighed before leaning against the back of his armchair "Izuku Midoriya...really a problematic student..." he looked at a calendar hung on the wall before smiling "Time to show that the flame of a true hero burns inside you!"

* * *

[ **USJ – Class 1-A** / _Meanwhile_ ]

"The sports festival?" repeated Mina with her head tilted to the side.

"Uh...Aizawa-sensei, we just had that villain attack. Are you sure about this?" asked Hanta with uncertainty.

"It's necessary to demonstrate that U.A.'s crisis management protocols are sound. That's the thinking apparently." explained Shota through the bandages that covered his entire face "Compared to past years, there will be five times the police presence. Anyhow, our Sports Festival is...the greatest opportunity you'll get. It's not an event that can be canceled over a few villains."

"B-But there was that villain with the mask who injured All Might." said Toru looking at their teacher.

"He too was taken into consideration, which is why many heroes will be summoned to strengthen security." said Shota without any change of emotion in the voice "Our Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events. The Olympics were once the world's sports festival, the whole country would be whipped into a frenzy over them, but as you know, that tradition as shrunk in scale to a shell of its former self and as far as Japan's concerned, what's taken the place of the Olympics is the U.A.'s Sports Festival!"

"The nation's top heroes will all be watching right?" asked Momo "They'll be there as scouts!"

Shota nodded "Naturally, you'll gain valuable experience and popularity if you're picked up by a big-name hero, but your time is limited. Show the pros what you're made of here, and you'll make futures for yourselves." he looked at each of the students, noting the determination in the eyes of most of them "This happens once a year...so you've got three chances. If you're hoping to become a hero, this is an event you can't miss!"

* * *

[ **U.A.'s Hallways** / _Lunch break_ ]

"You were really motivated a little while ago, Uraraka." said Izuku walking alongside her and Tenya "It's the first time I see you like that."

"O-oh well...you know...this is an important occasion for us! Aizawa-sensei said that if we want to become heroes this event will be very useful!" replied Ochaco while scratching the back of her head.

Izuku looked at her for a moment before asking "I know it's a sudden question, but I wondered why you want to become a heroine. Is there a particular reason?"

She seemed embarrassed, looking away, but then answered "M-money..."

Izuku and Tenya looked at her with surprised eyes "Money?"

"Sorry, I know it seems base...and it's really embarrassing, considering Iida's noble motivations and all."

"Why?" Tenya looked perplexed "There's really nothing wrong with seeking a more comfortable lifestyle!"

"Yeah, a lot of people have become heroes for money. Even Bakugo, as I recall, wanted to be a hero for the money." said Izuku with a shrug.

"My family runs construction company but...business is bad. We're poorer than poor. My idea was to work with them. With my Quirk they could have saved money on the use of vehicles for moving materials, but my father said they would be happier if I had followed my dreams." Ochaco looked at them with incredibly determined eyes "So I'm gonna be a hero. I'll make that money so that my mom and dad can have easier lives!"

Izuku and Tenya looked at her in silence, surprised by her determination and the bespectacled student also began to applaud while complimenting her, but then suddenly from behind a corner popped out All Might.

" **Oooh! Young Midoriya! Found you!** " said the hero before showing a lunch basket " **Wanna...eat lunch with me?** " and while Ochaco almost chocked on her own saliva, Izuku arched an eyebrow.

' _What's this about...?_ ' thought Izuku before nodding "I'll see you two later. Enjoy your meal."

Tenya and Ochaco looked at their friend while he walked away with All Might before heading to the canteen. Soon after, they were in line to get some ramen.

"Wonder what he wants with Izuku." said Ochaco looking at her friend.

"Apparently Midoriya tried to fight against that masked villain. Maybe it's about that?" hypothesized Tenya before adding "Maybe All Might wants to talk to him about how he lost control again?"

"Maybe...but it could also be for some help with his training! During the entrance exam, when Izuku destroyed the giant robot he shouted Hell Smash!" said Ochaco with a smile "Perhaps All Might has taken a liking to him!"

While they kept talking, neither of them noticed that they were eavesdropped by Shoto a few meters away.

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Break Room** / _Meanwhile_ ]

"Only one hour?"

"Yes, I did some tests tonight and yesterday." said All Might pouring tea into two cups "If I stay in my muscle form without doing anything I can last even more than an hour, but if I fight or use the remains of One For All, I can last up to an hour, as long as I don't decide to exceed my limit. In that case I think I'd barely last twenty minutes."

"I see..." Izuku looked down for a moment "The clash with All For One has caused you a lot of damage?"

"More than expected but by tomorrow I will be as good as new, except for my Quirk. If I hadn't attacked to counter his attacks, I'd have risked to remain with both arms unusable." All Might sipped his tea "But enough of that, I wanted to talk to you about the Sports Festival. Do you know how it works?"

"Yes, of course." nodded Izuku "The members of the support course, business course, general studies and hero course are all thrown together. We're grouped by grade level, and we compete in a series of preliminary competitions. The winners of those move on to the main event, which is always some kind of tournament."

"Exactly! So it's your chance to gain mass appeal for yourself!" said All Might pointing at Izuku.

Said boy stared at him for a few seconds "...uh?"

"'UH?', HE SAYS!" shouted All Might falling back with a jet of blood from his mouth.

"I don't want to destroy your castle in the clouds, but I remind you that I'm not exactly an unknown face, besides being already famous for the wrong reasons." said Izuku with a calm voice "I wouldn't be surprised if there were scouts whose purpose is only to identify any weaknesses in my Quirk."

"You're all too paranoid, you know?" asked All Might before sighing while still lying on the ground "However I can't blame you. Following your line of thoughts, I guess nobody will cheer for you but that's not the point! Your aim is to make it clear to all of Japan that you are not a ruthless killer! By now everyone already knows of the attack at the USJ and the fact that you have helped to repel those villains! Now you have to go for the final blow and make them understand that you are just a student who wants to give the best of himself!"

"I don't know if your idea will give good results but I'll try." said Izuku sipping his tea before looking at the pro-hero "Do you want me to help you get up?"

"...yes, please."

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Gamma Gym** / _One hour later_ ]

"Wooooooo...this place's huge!" shouted Eijiro looking around.

"So this is where we'll strengthen our Quirks?" asked Kyoka looking at their sensei just when another person, and that is Cementoss, made his entrance.

"That's correct." nodded Cementoss while changing the shape of the ground "This is my personal facility. I can fashion whatever terrain or objects I believe best suit each individual student."

"As I said, such training is usually reserved for a specific training camp, but after recent events it is better to be sure that you are ready." explained Shota before adding "As soon as Cementoss has created the platforms, start working. You must be able to understand the limits of your Quirks and how you can overcome them."

For the next three hours, the various students continued to train with their Quirks, trying to improve themselves. While for some of them it was pure physical exercises, as with Tenya and Mashirao, others tried to overcome the limits imposed by their Quirk, like Ochaco with her nausea and Denki with the amount of electricity that he could discharge before finding himself with a fried brain.

However, unlike all of them, Izuku had moved away from the rest of the class to try and master some aspects of his Quirk, such as creating chains from his flames, but nevertheless his efforts weren't giving positive results.

' _ **I can perfectly control my flames, but as soon as I try to convert them into something different, I lose control over them.**_ ' thought Izuku looking at the flaming sphere in his hands with his empty sockets. Hearing someone walking behind him, he turned and saw Momo approach him while she ate some pastries.

" **Yaoyorozu.** " nodded Izuku to greet her " **Are you taking a break?** "

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei tried to make me eat several desserts while creating more complex or larger objects." explained Momo before eating another pastry "But my body has reached its limit and now I can no longer create objects without errors."

" **I thought the limit of your Quirk was the presence of fat in your body.** "

"Yes, but my body is different. The Quirks are a bit like mere muscles, and my Quirk affects my whole body particularly, since it's subjected to continuous assimilation of food and fat burning. After a while it can no longer keep up with my Quirk and the objects I create have some flaws." Momo lifted a hand and created what looked like a simple pencil, but once created, the pencil broke in half "A defect that often happens is that objects created with my Quirk become more fragile."

" **I see...** " Izuku looked at the pencil before asking " **How do you create those objects? Hypothetically, your Quirk and a part of mine work the same way. You use the fat of your body, while I use the flames, but I still can not convert the flames into objects.** "

Momo seemed to think about it "I don't know if it's the same for you, but I have to know how an object is made to create it. I need to know how every single object is composed at the molecular level."

Izuku stared at her for a couple of seconds " **Are you telling me that you know the atomic composition of every single object you create?** "

"Well...I don't want to brag but yes, I had to study a lot but in the end I learned the whole periodic table of elements by heart, and I always carry my Yaoyorictionary with me!"

" **...your what?** "

Izuku watched with hidden amusement as her cheeks turned slightly pink. Without saying anything, Momo took a book that was stuck at the base of her back and gave it to Izuku. The boy began to leaf through the book, observing with interest all the chemical formulas, notes and explanations written by Momo for all the objects listed in that book.

After a few minutes, he gave back the book " **Color me impressed. I've never seen detailed notes like these, I think you're perhaps the smartest person I've ever met.** "

"T-thanks..." she put the book in its place with her cheeks still pink "You could try using a method that I used as a child." when she saw him tilt the head to the side, she added "When I was learning to use my Quirk, I tried to create simple objects by mentally repeating the object's name while focusing on the chemical formula of that object. With a chain I should always think 'chain', imagining iron."

Izuku looked at his hands before creating a sphere of fire. 'Closing' his eyes, he began to think of a chain, but not being able to imagine the chemical composition, he began to remember every time he had used a chain to fight. The weight, the feeling of having it around the chest or the arm, the movements that he used to hit his opponents, the feeling of the metal between his hands and the moments when he set the chain on fire to make it a lethal weapon.

Next to him, Momo watched Izuku in silence and a small smile formed on her lips as soon as she saw the flames swirl slowly as a chain began to be created from the palm of his right hand, one ring at a time. She still couldn't know if he had used her own method, but to see that her advice had given good results filled her chest with pride, however, a few seconds later, the flames began to disperse and the chain fell to the ground.

" **Sorry, I lost concentration.** "

His voice was hoarse and not human at all, but Momo seemed to notice a note of unease "Are you okay? Did something happen while you were creating the chain?"

" **I can't use your own trick...so I started thinking about all the times I used a chain to fight.** " explained Izuku picking up the chain from the ground.

Momo seemed to understand almost immediately. From what little she knew of his past, he had become famous, as well as for his appearance, because of his motorcycle and his weapon, a chain, and since his enemies ended up in a coma or were found dead, if they were found, it was clear that he had caused much pain and death with that chain.

"S-Sorry...I shouldn't have suggested that method..."

Izuku waved at her " **Not your fault. It's me who decided to rethink those things. At least I managed to create something, and it is only your merit.** " after a couple of seconds, he added " **If you want, maybe, I can help you with your training.** "

Momo looked at him with interest "How so?"

In response, Izuku created a sphere of fire in his right hand and, even though he had no lips or facial muscles, Momo had the impression that he was grinning...and she couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing.

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Class 1-A** / _After school_ ]

Izuku he was just putting some things in his schoolbag. After training at the Gamma Gym, they had returned to the classroom to put away their costumes before hearing some information from their teacher. Luckily Shota was a man who went immediately to the point and therefore they had finished quickly and the bell had just been trilled.

"What's going on?!"

Looking towards the entrance to the classroom, Izuku saw that the corridor was full of students intent on staring inside. The closest to the door were Ochaco, Tenya and Minoru, but the wall of people prevented them from leaving the classroom.

"No way out! What are they here for?" asked Mineta looking with confusion at the students.

"Scoping out the competition, duh. Now get out my way, Small Fly." said Katsuki with a low growl walking toward the door "We're the kids who survived a villain attack. Makes sense they'd want a look before the Sports Festival." Izuku could feel that he hadn't finished yet and in fact a few seconds later Katsuki added "No point, though. Move aside, cannon fodder!"

Tenya karate-chopped the air "Can we please not resort to calling those don't even know 'cannon fodder'?!"

"It's true. We came to get a look, but you sure are modest." said a male voice behind the first row of students and Izuku, who had walked toward the door, could see a boy with disheveled purple hair making his way through the crowd "Are all the kids in the hero course like this one?"

"HUH?!" a vein began to throb on Katsuki's forehead as Tenya and Ochaco tried to warn the newcomer by shaking their heads and hands to tell him not to provoke their classmate further.

The purple-haired student, who was slightly taller than Izuku, had a bored expression on his face "Gotta say, I'm a little disillusioned if this is what you're offering. Those of us who didn't make it to the hero course are stuck in general studies and the other tracks. There're quite a few of us. Did you know that?"

"Why should I care?" asked Katsuki with a glare.

"Simple. Depending on the results of this Sports Festival, they might consider transferring us to the hero course. I understand the reverse is also possible for you..." Izuku could see the shiver running down Minoru's back "Scoping out the competition? For a general studies kid like me...this'll be the perfect chance to knock you off your pedestals. Consider this a declaration of war."

' _Well this one knows how to throw a challenge._ ' thought Izuku before hearing someone shouting behind the wall of students.

"HEY! I'M TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU, FROM CLASS 1-B, NEXT DOOR!" a boy with grey hair and strange white markings around his eyes managed to get to the front row "Heard you guys fought some villains! Wanted to find out more, but all I'm seeing is this arrogant bastard! You better not make fools of the hero course at this thing!" Katsuki stared at him unblinking, putting most of his classmates on the edge "And where's Flaming Centaur?! I want to meet him!"

Izuku sighed. There was no reason to keep it hidden, since in two weeks all of Japan would have seen his face. He walked toward the exit, passing by Katsuki and the gray-haired student looked up at him "Are you Flaming Centaur?"

"Yes." most of the students looked at him with shocked eyes. He had said it without even hesitating.

"Good! I want to fight against you like a real man and-wait! Where the Hell are you going?!" Tetsutetsu had realized only a few seconds later that Izuku was leaving, with the crowd opening to let him pass "You're ignoring me?! I'm throwing a challenge, you know?!"

Izuku stopped for a moment, looking at him and the purple-haired boy "I don't care."

"You...YOU..." Tetsutetsu clenched his fists before starting to shake "So straightforward and manly! Now I can't really lose against you!"

Izuku sweatdropped at that but then, a new voice was heard in the air and for some reason Izuku found himself detesting the blond who was laughing not far from him.

"Acting so confident and sure of yourself! You really are one from 1-A!" the blonde guy looked at him with a mocking smile "I'm Neito Monoma, and you can not even imagine the joy that I will fell when our class will be recognized as the strongest in the school, even surpassing the snobs like you!"

A tense silence filled the corridor as all the students watched Izuku waiting for an answer.

Izuku stared at the blonde in front of him for a few seconds "Okay." and then walked away, leaving behind a frozen Neito who stared in front of him with the smile still on his face. The poor boy didn't expect such an answer.

Shortly thereafter the various students began to disperse. Once they left the class, Ochaco and others couldn't help but sigh. Those were going to be two very long weeks...

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Class 1-A** / _One_ _week later_ ]

"A complex object to create?" asked Izuku looking at Momo while they were leaving the school.

"Yes. Aizawa-sensei suggested me to improve the quality of my creations as well as quantity, and more complex and better designed objects would be better than simple objects." explained Momo looking forward "I asked other people in the class but nobody thought of anything like that. The only one who suggested something to me was Jiro, who proposed me to create an electric guitar. I did it but I would like other proposals, even better if they are mechanical or electronic objects, or made with different materials."

Izuku thought about it for a few seconds "Do you need some project or material knowledge?"

"It would be better, but I can try it without it, just that I don't guarantee on the result. Although good, Jiro pointed out some imperfections in the guitar." replied Momo with a little sigh.

"Well...maybe there's an object you could try to create, but the projects are in the garage of my house. If you wish, I can take you there and then take you home." said Izuku surprising the girl.

"Are you okay with this? I wouldn't cause problems."

"Don't worry, my guardian is working at his shop but he won't say anything. In fact, I bet he will be very happy if you succeed in your intent." said Izuku with a little smile.

"I see...then...I will accept your invitation. I just have to call my mother to warn her." nodded Momo before picking up her cellphone.

"Sure, join me in the underground parking when you're ready." Izuku then walked away.

A few minutes later, while Izuku was already on his motorcycle, he saw Momo arrive with a smile on her lips "She said it's okay even if she wants me home before dinner."

Izuku nodded before pointing at his helmet "Since you wanted a complicated object, try to create a motorcycle helmet. Contrary to what many believe, a helmet is not so simple and trivial to assemble."

Momo picked up his helmet and began to look at it for a few seconds, then unbuttoned her uniform jacket and pulled up the shirt, showing her belly. Izuku had the decency to look the other way while a curvilinear object began to be created from her skin. After a few seconds, she asked him to give her an opinion and, looking at her, Izuku was surprised to see that the helmet she created was a combination of a classic motorcycle helmet similar to his and the helmet of Ochaco's hero costume.

"Not bad." Izuku looked at it from different angles, weighing it with one hand "The weight is lower than mine but because you have used lighter materials and the visor of your helmet covers your entire face. I would say it's a great result."

"Thank you." Momo smiled again before looking at her creation with uncertainty.

"Something's wrong?"

"Uh? Oh no no, I just need to do a thing." and with that, she removed the rubber band from her hair, letting it fall freely down her back. Izuku had to admit it, Momo was incredibly nicer with loose hair. After she had put on her helmet, she climbed into the saddle behind Izuku, clasping her arms around his chest.

Izuku side-looked at her "First time on a motorcycle?"

"Uh...y-yeah...I've always traveled by car, train or plane, so it's a new experience for me."

Izuku nodded before starting the engine and darting out of the parking lot at full speed, enjoying the screams of Momo behind him. He couldn't tell if they were screams of terror or excitement, but it was still fun to hear them.

The trip lasted relatively little but in the end Izuku arrived in front of the huge gate of his garage, which was big enough to hold two cars. Pulling out a small remote control from his jacket, he opened the gate and entered with his bike, parking it on the right while on the left there was already another much older bike.

"How was it?" asked Izuku looking at Momo who was slightly trembling on her legs.

"It was...exciting. But did you have to go so fast?"

Izuku chuckled a bit "If I don't go fast there is no pleasure in riding a motorcycle." after placing the helmet on a nearby cabinet, he pointed to the other bike "That's an all original 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster. It's the personal motorcycle of Johnny, the man who takes care of me. When I was young and I was starting to develop my Quirk, I discovered I could melt things, and the muffler of that bike was the first victim of my Quirk. Johnny spent years looking for a spare muffler but he never found one in good condition. On the wall you can see some projects."

Looking in that direction, Momo saw several sheets hanging on the wall and was stunned to see all the details and information written on them. Weight, dimensions, necessary materials, and much more.

"All of this just for a muffler?" asked Momo looking back at Izuku who nodded with a smile.

"The bikes are his passion and he taught me everything I know. If there were an award for those who know more about motorbikes, he would win it for sure." explained Izuku before gesturing again toward the projects "As you can see, there are several materials used to make a muffler: sheet iron, steel, stainless steel, titanium, carbon fiber, aluminum and inconel. I think it's a fairly complex object, and there are projects to help you."

Momo walked to those projects and began to watch them carefully, then took out a notebook from her school bag and wrote something. The process went on for a few minutes, but in the end she put the notebook away and unbuttoned her jacket before starting to create the muffler. It took her only a few seconds to create it and when it was complete, she gave it to Izuku "What do you think?"

"Oh I will not judge it." chuckled Izuku before sending a message with his cellphone. She looked at him confused but soon after the garage door opened and a man with reddish blond hair entered, looking at them.

"What's the problem, Izuku?" asked Johnny looking at the young boy before shifting his gaze to the muffle "Is...is that...?"

"You can thank her, she is a classmate of mine." said Izuku while tossing him the muffle. Johnny took it before he began to scrupulously observe it, one inch at a time.

' _Wow..._ ' Momo looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion ' _The only time I saw someone behave like that was in a museum when art critics were watching my mother's new sculpture._ '

After some endless minutes, Johnny looked at Momo "What's your name, young miss?"

"Momo Yaoyorozu." she bowed in front of him "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Johnny passed the muffler to Izuku before walking in front of Momo, putting his hands on her shoulders. Momo could see that the man was trembling and had the impression that she had done something wrong. The muffler wasn't good? She shouldn't have created one without permission?

"You'll be a perfect daughter-in-law!"

Momo's face immediately turned red and, next to her, even Izuku's cheeks changed color and smoke was literally coming out of his skin.

"JOHNNY!"

"What?" the man looked at Izuku with a happy face "Today, not only did you bring home a beautiful girl but she also created a perfect muffler for my bike! This day could not be better!" he took the muffler back from Izuku and left the garage but not before winking at the younger boy "Make sure things do not get too hot. I'm not ready to be a grandfather."

He had to quickly close the door before being hit by a ball of fire that left a black mark on the wooden surface.

An awkward silence had fallen into the garage and neither Izuku nor Momo had the courage to look at each other.

"Sorry about him..."

"N-not a problem! He seems very lively!" said Momo trying to think about something else. She could very well see that, apart from their love of motorcycles, Izuku and Johnny had nothing in common. Since she had known Izuku, Momo had never heard of his parents and even before, he had referred to Johnny as 'the one who takes care of him'. So it was obvious that Izuku no longer had his parents or perhaps he had never had them, but it wasn't the right time to ask him something so personal, and that's why she tried to change topic.

"Have you made progress with the creation of chains?"

"Oh...yeah...now I can create chains long enough to fight, but it still takes time and concentration, I can't create one on the spot without thinking" explained Izuku "But I guess that in time I will reach your level."

Momo nodded, happy to know that he was striving to improve "I am sure that you will succeed, I would also like to thank you for helping me today. Even if a helmet and a muffler will not help me a lot in combat, they have been excellent items for training."

Izuku smiled back "You're welcome. Do you need help with something else?"

"Well, actually...there's one thing you can help me with, and it's about what you showed me a week ago. I think you can help me because you are very resistant."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's about something I'm trying to create from scratch but before that..." she looked at him with a mixture of nervousness and insecurity on her face "Can I set you on fire?"

.

.

.

"...eh?"

* * *

[ **U.A.** **–** **Sports Festival Stadium (1-A Prep Room)** / _One_ _week later_ ]

"Is everyone good and ready?! The event's about to begin!" shouted Tenya while the rest of his classmates were trying to stay calm. The great moment had arrived after all. For two weeks each of them had trained beyond their limits and now it was time to show the results of their efforts.

"Wish I could use my costume." groaned Mina sitting with some of her friends.

"They're not allowed, in the interest of fairness." said Mashirao at her side "After all, only those in the hero course have a real costume."

"We will have to make ourselves noticed with our style and our skill!" said Hanta shooting a pose.

"Yeah! There're a lot of pro-heroes out there!" nodded Eijiro "We must impress them!"

Not far away, Izuku was sitting while reading something on his cellphone when someone approached him.

"Midoriya."

Looking up, Izuku was surprised to see the person with whom he had talked less from the start of the school "Todoroki? What is it?"

Shoto stared at him in silence for a few seconds before speaking "Honestly speaking, I can not say if I am stronger than you. However I am more capable." Izuku slightly narrowed his eyes "All Might's got his eyes on you, doesn't he? Now, I'm not about to pry into why that is but...I will beat you."

"Oooh?! A declaration of war from Todoroki?!" said Denki looking at them with a grin while the rest of the class waited in silence.

"Hey, man, why pick a fight now?!" asked Eijiro putting a hand on Shoto's shoulder "We're about to go on!"

Shoto shrugged him off "I really don't care. I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend, here." he looked back at Izuku "That's why, even if you're the famed Flaming Centaur, I'll beat you."

"You will need more than a few words to intimidate me." said Izuku standing up "And let me tell you something. From my point of view, you are the one who most of all is taking this opportunity the wrong way, as if it were just a game."

Now, the two of them were glaring at each other and just when some of the others were approaching to stop a possible fight, the sound of a bell echoed in their room

"It's time to go! Let's move, we can not be late and make a bad impression!" shouted Tenya pointing with both hands toward the exit door.

Izuku and Shoto stare at each other for a couple of seconds before walking outside with the rest of the class. From the end of the corridor they could hear the screams of the spectators along with the deafening voice of Present Mic.

"IT'S U.A.'S SPORTS FESTIVAL! THE ONE TIME EACH YEAR WHEN OUR FLEDGLING HEROES COMPETE IN A RUTHLESS GRAND BATTLE!" Present Mic raised his hands before pointing at one of the entrances "FIRST UP...YOU KNOW WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT! THE MIRACULOUS RISING STARS WHO BRUSHED OFF A VILLAIN ATTACK WITH THEIR STEELY WILLPOWER! THE FIRST-YEARS OF THE HERO COURSE!" he took a deep breath and when the students started going out, he shouted even louder "IT'S CLASS 1-A!"

"Whooaaaa...what a crowd!" said Mina in awe looking around.

"And we're expected to put on the best performance we can in front of so many spectators." added Tenya catching her attention "I suppose this is merely one more necessary skill if we hope to become heroes."

Meanwhile, all the other classes of the first year began to go out one after the other and all the students, who had to be two hundred and twenty, approached the stage set up in the middle of the stadium, where there was a woman with long dark hair armed with a whip.

"Now for the athlete's oath!" said Midnight lashing the air with his whip "Your student representative is...from class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya!"

Izuku seemed surprised at having been chosen but then thought that they had decided so based on the results in the entrance exam. He walked slowly on the stage, going to the microphone prepared by Midnight.

' _I might as well use this opportunity to take a weight off my shoulders._ '

"The athlete's oath..." his body was immediately devoured by the flames, shocking the whole crowd " **Good luck to everyone, but if we ever fight one against the other...I hope you'll put up** **a** **good fight.** "

A surreal silence followed his words as Izuku returned to his spot and changed into his human form again. Some of the other students were watching him with eyes full of fear, but everyone in his class, as well as those in class 1-B, didn't seem too shocked by his words, and the same could be said for that purple-haired boy who stared at him with bored and vaguely surprised eyes.

"Those were really _warm_ words! I'm feeling so _hot_ after hearing them!" no one seemed to hear her puns "Now, without any delay, let's get the first event started!" a screen lit up behind her "These are the qualifiers! It's in this stage that so many are sent home crying every year! And the fateful first event this year is..." she snapped her fingers and three words were shown on the screen "Obstacle Course Race! A race between every member of all eleven classes! The course is a four kilometers lap around the stadium itself!" a wall began to open thanks to various mechanisms, showing a narrow passage to the outside of the stadium with a traffic light positioned at the top and in plain sight.

"Our school preaches freedom in all things! So as long as you don't go off the course, anything is fair game!" said Midnight with a sadistic smile before nodding toward Present Mic who grinned.

A red light lit up as all the participants prepared to run.

"RACERS, TO YOU POSITIONS!"

A second red light lit up and Izuku noticed how many of the students were trying to get away from him slowly.

"REAAAAADY..."

A third red light lit up before all three turned green.

"STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!"

All the students rushed at the same time towards that passage but in a few seconds almost everyone noticed how that narrow gate was actually...

"The first filter." already in the first position, Shoto didn't waste any time and immediately began to use his Quirk, freezing the ground behind him, succeeding in blocking at least thirty participants who remained with their feet stuck in the ice, however, after a few moments, someone shouted "Too easy, Todoroki!"

Looking behind, he saw many of his classmates avoid his attack in a variety of ways, overcoming a large number of opponents at the same time.

"I ain't letting you get ahead that easy, Half 'n' Half!" shouted Katsuki flying over the others thanks to his explosions whit Momo and Eijiro close behind.

"I expected it from our class, but more made it past than I thought would..." noted Shoto still running ahead of everyone. Shortly behind him, some students tried to use their Quirks to stop Shoto but were immediately swept away by robots that had suddenly appeared.

"Multiple targets acquired."

"The faux villains from the entrance exam?!" shouted Denki looking at the various robots in front of them.

"EVERY OBSTACLE COURSE NEEDS OBSTACLE! STARTING WITH THE FIRST BARRIER!" shouted Present Mic just when huge shadows loomed over the participants "ROBO INFERNO!"

"The zero pointers from the exam?!"

"Seriously?! The hero course kids fought against those?!"

"Too many! There's no way past!"

"So these are the faux villains they used for everyone else's test?" asked Shoto before crouching on the ground "Kinda wish they'd prepared something a little more threatening." two of the giant robots raised a fist and then tried to hit Shoto, who was closest to them "Especially because dear old _dad_ is watching." and with a simple movement of his right arm, Shoto froze the two robots, blocking them in a few seconds, before running among them to move forward.

"He stopped them!" shouted a student behind him "We can get through that gap!"

"Bad idea." warned Shoto without looking back "I froze them in pretty unstable positions..." at that moment, the robots began to be crossed by several cracks before collapsing to the ground, crushing many students with their weight "So they'd fall."

"1-A'S TODOROKI! BUSTING THROUGH AND SABOTAGING THE OTHERS IN ONE MOVE! THIS GUY'S _COLD_!" shouted Present Mic adding a pun at the end "HE'S WAY AHEAD OF THE PACK! ALMOST FEELS...UNFAIR!"

"H-hey, there're kids pinned under there!"

"They've gotta be dead! I didn't know we could be killed during this thing!"

In a few moments, from under the robots' remains, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu punched their way out, and they had managed not to suffer damage thanks to their Quirks, which were very similar to each other, almost identical. Around them, most of the students began to ally with each other to advance while others preferred to avoid any kind of confrontation, using their Quirks to move beyond the robots without fighting them.

Not far away, Izuku, who had once again turned into a flaming skeleton, had just destroyed two smaller robots with physical strength alone. A sudden explosion caught his attention and he saw one of the zero-pointers fall backwards after being hit on the head by a cannonball, courtesy of Momo who had just created the artillery weapon.

' _ **It seems that several students of my class are progressing without problems.**_ ' thought Izuku looking around. From what he could see, only the weaker ones like Koji, Minoru and Toru had stayed with the bulk of the students.

' _ **Todoroki has probably already arrived at the second obstacle.**_ ' Izuku destroyed a three-pointer with a well placed ball of fire ' _ **If I want to reach him I could use a method similar to Bakugo, but I don't have the same mastery of the air movement as him so I would only risk wasting time.**_ ' he grabbed a one-pointer's head, ignoring the fist that came to his head ' _ **If I really want to get there first, I need a vehicle.**_ '

He looked at the robot which was trying to break free from his grip and an idea began to form in his mind.

' _ **Uhm...why not?**_ '

Without wasting any more time, Izuku grabbed the robot's head with both hands and let his flames cover it entirely. Under his pleased gaze, he saw the robot's body grow darker as it began to transform. The sphere that the robot used to move narrowed into a huge spiked wheel wrapped in flames while its body began to lengthen to form a sort of saddle, with its head that moved in front of the saddle, with two handlebars that came straight out of the robot's head, now more similar to the demonic skull of a goat with fire coming out of its sockets. Finally, the two arms of the robot lowered to the height of the wheel with the hands pointing upwards.

Satisfied with the result, Izuku jumped into the saddle and put his feet on the hands of the robot which hooked around the base of his boots, so as not to make him fall, while he grabbed the handlebars. After a trial acceleration, Izuku darted forward at full speed past several students who looked at him with a shocked eyes.

' _ **This may be funny in the end!**_ '

In a few moments, Izuku found himself at the base of a long staircase but that didn't stop him and he continued to climb destroying all the steps behind him before arriving in front of a series of concrete columns connected to each other with thick ropes. Looking around he saw that many students were already crossing the chasm below, although some didn't have much skill, thus falling into the darkness.

"IT SEEMS THAT OUR FIERY RUNNER HAS FOUND A MEANS OF TRANSPORT BUT NOW HE'S ALSO FACING THE SECOND OBSTACLE, THE FALL! WILL HE BE ABLE TO OVERCOME IT?!"

" **Not a problem.** " without hesitation, Izuku accelerated again, driving toward the chasm and, much to everyone's surprise, he completely missed the rope in front of him, darting through the air. Their surprise grew again when his wheel touched one of the concrete columns, but instead of falling down, he managed to drive upward as if there were no gravity. With a final leap, he landed on the second column, looking for a moment behind him ' _ **Luckily I managed to learn how to drive on vertical surfaces. I still don't understand how it is possible but I will certainly not stop here to answer those questions.**_ ' and with that, he darted back into the air, aiming for a third column.

"IT SEEMS THAT EVEN THIS KIND OF OBSTACLE CAN NOT STOP HIM!" after a short pause, Present Mic added "MEANWHILE, THE LEADERS OF THE PACK MOVE ON UNDAUNTED!"

Reaching a new column, Izuku saw that Katsuki had reached Shoto and was now close to surpassing him. Continuing with his method, he managed to get to the other side of the chasm in a short time when explosions were heard ahead of him. Having now solid earth under the wheel, Izuku managed to gain a lot of ground on the students in front of him, overcoming a large number in a few seconds, thus managing to catch the third place right at the beginning of the third obstacle, a minefield.

"Midoriya!" looking back, Izuku saw that the student right behind him was Tenya "I won't lose against you in a speed contest!"

Izuku looked forward again, noting how Katsuki was flying through the air with his explosions to surpass Shoto, while Present Mic was explaining aloud the characteristics of those mines.

" **If you really want to do a speed race...** " Izuku created two large fire balls in his hands " **You must first prepare the route!** " and with that, he threw the two spheres of fire, aiming directly at Katsuki and Shoto, who were forced to throw aside to avoid the attacks but were still thrown to the ground due to all the explosions caused by the fireballs that had destroyed the mines below. Just as Izuku was ready to accelerate to reach the finish line, Tenya managed to get to his side.

' _Using that move now could cost me a lot but I can not let him win without even trying!_ ' thought Tenya as blue flames began to come out of its engines "Recipro Burst!"

In an explosion of speed, Tenya dashed forward with Izuku who was particularly surprised to see him go so fast. The two of them crossed the entire field in a few moments while Shoto and Katsuki were still getting up but Shoto saw them coming and managed to create a huge wall of ice in front of them to stop their advance, however, his plan failed because Izuku rammed the wall with his vehicle, destroying it without slowing down. Shoto could only look with surprised eyes as Izuku entered the tunnel for the stadium with Tenya at his side.

" **You're really fast!** " Tenya looked at his side, where Izuku was waving at him " **But not enough!** " before accelerating even more, managing to distance Tenya.

' _Now I can understand why you never told me about when you lost to him, brother._ ' thought Tenya while still running at the best of its ability ' _He's just too fast!_ '

"AFTER HAVING DESTROYED HALF OF THE MINEFIELD AND HAVING REACHED THE FIRST POSITION, THE ONE WHO MADE IT BACK TO THE STADIUM FIRST IS..." Present Mic shouted before pointing at the tunnel entrance just when a flaming motorbike darted out of it "...NONE OTHER THAN IZUKU MIDORIYA!" and, much to Izuku's surprise, the crowd exploded into screams and applauses for him while the other runners arrived one after the other.

' _ **They're cheering for me?**_ ' thought Izuku looking around before spotting All Might who was grinning at him ' _ **After this he will never leave me alone again...**_ '

Shortly after, Izuku returned in human form and the robot fell to pieces, emitting sparks from different points.

"To lose a race, of all things, with my Quirk..." said Tenya behind him "It's clear I still have progress to make..."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." replied Izuku patting his back "You came second, and I think it's a great result to start. If it hadn't been for those robots, I probably wouldn't have arrived first."

"Midoriya! That was awesome!" shouted Ochaco walking toward them while catching her breath "You and Iida stole everyone's attention during the final part!"

"Well...I guess so..." mumbled Izuku before looking at the tunnel just in time to see Momo running inside the stadium. With Minoru attached to her ass thanks to his Quirk.

Unbeknownst to him, Ochaco and Tenya were now looking at him with worried eyes "Uh...Midoriya? Are you...okay?"

"Yes...why?" asked Izuku without looking at them.

"Your right arm is...wrapped in flames..." said Ochaco pointing at said limb.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking of doing _something_ to _someone_..." replied Izuku with narrowed eyes and both his friends took a step away from him but luckily, before anything could happen, Midnight's voice was heard in the air.

"So it's finally over! Let's check the results!" and as she said it, the various names, positions and photos of the participants began to appear on the various screens of the stadium "The top forty-two from this qualifying round will move on! But for those who placed lower, don't worry! We've got another way for you to show your stuff!" the students who had not appeared on the screen sighed down before they left, leaving those who had qualified near the stage.

"It seems that all our classmates have managed to qualify, and the same could be said for those in class 1-B." noted Tenya looking around "The other two who managed to pass are that purple-haired, from the general studies, boy and that pink-haired girl, from the support course."

"And now the main selection really begins! The press corp is going to be jumping out of their seats, so give it all you've got!" shouted Midnight as the monitor behind her became completely white "Now, for the second event..." she snapped her fingers and two words appeared on the screens in the stadium "Cavalry Battle!"

The various students looked at each other, wondering what a test of that kind would entail.

"Participants will, on their own, form teams of two to four members each and get into a horse-and-rider formation! The rules are fundamentally the same as those of an ordinary cavalry battle: snag your opponents' headbands while guarding your own, but with one exception..." she pointed at the students with her whip "Each of you has been assigned a point value based on your ranking in the last event! Your individual point values start at five, at the bottom! So the student who took 42nd place is worth five points, 41st is worth ten points and so on. Get it? But our first place participant is worth ten million points!"

Forty-one heads turned at the same time to Izuku, who continued to observe Midnight, though a drop of sweat ran down his cheek.

"The higher-ranked students are the ones to aim for! This survival game is a chance for a comeback! It's anyone's game!" explained Midnight with a sadistic smile "There's more suffering ahead for those at the top! As you must have heard countless times since enrolling at U.A., this is...PLUS ULTRA!"

' _Talking about pressure..._ ' thought Izuku feeling the stares of everyone on him.

"The match will last fifteen minutes. Each team's points are determined by its members! The rider will wear a headband displaying the total number of points! Until the match ends, you'll all compete to grab each other's points and maintain the ones you have!" out of nowhere, she pulled out a headband showing it to the students "Any headbands you grab must be worn around the neck or higher, but the more headbands you've got, the harder they'll be to manage! Most importantly, even if your headband is taken and even if your horse formation is broken...it's not over 'til it's over!"

The various students began to discuss briefly among themselves, talking about the possible teams and stolen points but Midnight silenced them with a whiplash "Quirks are allowed, so it'll be a brutal battle! However it's still a cavalry battle! Maliciously attacking another team with the intent of making them fall will get you a red card, and that means you're out of the game!" she grinned at them "You've got fifteen minutes, time to form your teams!"

Looking around, Izuku immediately realized that he was alone but at that moment he had other things on his mind, so he approached Midnight to ask her something, while a few meters away from him, someone was already at work.

"Hitoshi Shinso, right?" said purple-haired boy turned to look at Neito Monoma who was showing a strange smile on his face "I saw what you did during the first event..." Hitoshi raised an eyebrow when Neito held out his hand "So, would you like to form a team? Two brain-washing Quirks are better than one, don't you think?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hitoshi grinned "Sure, why not?"

Meanwhile on the stage, Midnight grinned at Izuku "I like your style. Yes, what you're planning is allowed since it's a part of your Quirk."

Izuku nodded before looking back, just to find himself face-to-face with the pink-haired girl from the support course "Team up with me, Mr. First Place!" the boy looked at her with surprised eyes, asking who she was "I'm Mei Hatsume! I don't know you, but I could be useful to someone in your position! Above all because I saw what you did to that robot during the first event!"

"How could you be useful to me?" asked Izuku with a curious voice.

"Heh heh heh! It's very simple! In the support course, we develop equipment to make heroes's Quirks easier to use! I've got plenty of my babies here, and I'm sure you'll find one or two that suit you!" explained Mei showing him several gadgets made by her.

Izuku looked at them for a second before nodding "Fine, you're with me, now we need to find at least another member." and, looking around, he saw Minoru trying to get Momo in his team "And I just found said member..." approaching the duo, Izuku raised his voice slightly to make himself heard "Yaoyorozu, would you like to team up with me?"

Momo looked at him with surprised eyes, also noting Mei being him "Midoriya? Are you sure?"

Izuku nodded "Yes, I really need you. With your Quirk I'll make sure to take us to the next event."

The black-haired girl smiled at him before nodding, destroying Minoru's hopes and forcing him to run towards Mezo.

"So, who's the fourth member?" asked Momo looking at Izuku and his strange grin.

"No one. The three of us will form a team." explained Izuku walking toward the destroyed robot he used to ride during the first event "And this robot will help us."

Mei looked at the robot with a smile "If you wish, I can try to repair it but I don't have the right materials with me."

"How much time do you need to repair it?" asked Izuku.

"Mmm...I'd say...ten minutes top." nodded Mei with a grin while Izuku looked at Momo.

"Can you help her?"

"Sure, what do you need Hatsume?" asked Momo before finding herself on the wrong end of an avalanche of words. After a few seconds of listening to their teammate, Momo created all the necessary materials, adding some things requested by Izuku to improve the robot, and Mei immediately began to work.

"Yaoyorozu, are you okay?" asked Izuku looking at her with concern.

"Yes, don't worry..." she sat down on the ground, trying to catch her breath "I just have to rest for a moment. I will not be able to help you during the battle, I need food to restore my fat-stocks."

"It'll be fine, leave it to me and Hastume." nodded Izuku with a little smile before looking around "The others have already formed teams, it's time to think of a strategy."

By the time the fifteen minutes were about to expire, Mei completed the job with a satisfied smile and Izuku asked "You said you want big companies to see your babies at work, right?"

"Yes, the big ones are right here! I can't miss this opportunity!" nodded Mei lifting her goggles.

"Good, then prepare all those who are good to defend and attack. I will take care of the movement." said Izuku before turning into a flaming skeleton, touching the robot with one hand. As the robot began to transform, Izuku looked back at his teammates " **Let's ride!** "

"Your fifteen minutes are up! Time to get started!" said Midnight before walking away just when a loud roar was heard in the air, shocking everyone.

The cause of their shock?

A large, three-wheeled chopper with demonic features and inflamed wheels. The head of the chopper was similar to the skull of a bull with flames leaking from the orbits and six large mufflers that, coming out from behind the saddle, pointed towards the sky, spewing smoke and flames. The saddle itself was different as it was longer, with the back almost similar to a sofa where Momo and Mei were sitting, both of them with strange gadgets in their hands, while sitting on the saddle itself was Izuku, intent to tie the headband around his skull.

"IT SEEMS THAT MIDORIYA HAS DECIDED TO TAKE THE CAVALRY BATTLE TO THE NEXT LEVEL!" shouted Present Mic "LET'S GET A BATTLE CRY! HERE COMES THE STARTING SIGNAL! BLOOD BEGETS BLOOD IN THE U.A. GRAND MATCH!"

" **Are you ready?** "

"Yes!"

"Heh heh! I'll show my babies to everyone!"

"START!"

Izuku didn't even have time to accelerate, that a huge wall of ice formed in front of his chopper, separating it from the rest of the teams.

"AH! THIS IS...!"

" **Right from the start, huh?** " wondered Izuku before looking at his right and what he saw left him genuinely surprised, because a few meters from him, there was a team with Katsuki as the rider, Shoto on the right, Tenya in front and a girl with vines instead of her hair on the left.

"I'm coming for that headband, Deku!"

"Even if you've your flames, I'll stop you."

"I've lost once against you, Midoriya, I won't lose again!"

"I can feel the sins in your soul, Izuku Midoriya, and they must be destroyed!"

"TENYA IIDA, SHOTO TODOROKI, KATSUKI BAKUGO FROM CLASS 1-A AND IBARA SHIOZAKI FROM CLASS 1-B! THOSE FROM THE SECOND TO THE FIFTH POSITION HAVE DECIDED TO JOIN FORCES AND THEY ARE DIRECTLY AIMING TO THE BIG PRIZE!"

Izuku stared at them for a moment before giving gas to his chopper.

" **Bring it on!** "

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 9: THE CAVALRY BATTLE!**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the eight chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **Originally I wanted to go forward but I thought that finishing the chapter here would have been a good idea! We have seen some progress of Izuku with the creation of his chains and his relationship with Momo, as well as the first part of the Sports Festival! I hope the surprise at the end (Bakugo team) has been to your liking and in the next chapter we will see why these four have decided to form a team!**

 **REPLIES TO REVIEWS**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "I like this story!" or something like that: you're welcome!**

 **\- To all those who have reviewed with a "Please update!" or "More!" or anything like that: here's more!**

 **Now, the single reviews:**

 **\- Gamelover41592: Because I love changing the plot of the canon. If the usual things always happened it would be more boring, moreover this is a darker story than the canon, so some characters will die.**

 **\- Guest: Well, a lot of villains were killed by Izuku during the fight.**

 **\- ZyteWCDb: Thanks for the advice! I hope this chapter was better under that aspect!**

 **\- JustAGuy536: Sorry, no comment!**

 **\- Giltlawyer9000: a) No comment! b) You'll find out! c) Yes, he will d) No comment! e) Yes, but right now I'm not interested in it.**

 **\- TrialDragonGod: I know about Mirio, I read the manga. All Might was lying during that scene.**

 **\- Dryptonium: Yep, DekuMomo!**

 **\- Robotdocter: No, I won't use it.**

 **\- Run0nSentences: You'll find out!**

 **\- BlackDragonShinigami: After the Sports Festival!**

 **That's all for now! See you around!**


	10. The Cavalry Battle

**CHAPTER 9: THE CAVALRY BATTLE!**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

[ **U.A. – Sports Festival Stadium** / _During team-building_ ]

" _Joining your team?" Tenya looked at Shoto with surprised eyes, not expecting such a request. From what little he understood about Endeavor's son, Shoto was one who wanted to do things on his own, especially in combat simulations, so a situation where others were looking for his help was more likely. However, he was also smart, so he must have already had a team in mind for the event._

" _Yes. Your Quirk and your speed are perfect for this type of event." Shoto walked away with Tenya behind him "However, this won't be my team."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Simply, you saw what Midoriya did during the first event." Shoto pointed at Izuku who was talking with a pink haired girl "And he will probably do something similar even now. In order to stop him, this team must be versatile but strong at the same time, and that's where you come into play with your speed. Using my ice as a support you can go even faster."_

 _Tenya looked around for a moment before asking "Since you said this won't be your team, I guess you won't be the rider."_

" _Correct. As I said, this team must also be powerful and there is someone with a Quirk suitable for the purpose, but suggesting that he is part of the horse would lead him to immediately reject the proposal. For this he will be the rider." explained Shoto walking toward a group of their classmates._

" _Who are you talking abo-oh..." Tenya stopped mid-sentence, paling a bit._

" _Team up with me!"_

" _Hey Bakugo, pick me!"_

" _He's picking me, of course!"  
_

" _Come on Bakugo, let's form a team!"_

 _Tenya looked at the son of Endeavor "Him?"_

" _Him." nodded Shoto stopping behind their classmates "Bakugo." everyone turned to look at him and Tenya "Would you like to be the rider of our team?"_

 _Everyone looked at him with shocked eyes except for Katsuki who narrowed his own "Why should I join you, Half 'n' Half?"_

" _You want to defeat Midoriya, isn't it?" asked back Shoto without missing a beat "It is likely that he will do something similar to the first event, using a vehicle transformed with his Quirk. In order to stop him you will need speed, power and a suitable terrain. While you have a powerful Quirk, you do not have the speed and you need a team that can get you close to him." he pointed a Tenya "Iida is with me, and he's the fastest in our class when Midoriya isn't using a vehicle, while I can do something to stop or slow him down with my ice. If we combine our three Quirks, we get a team that can go fast, slow down or stop others and destroy any defenses."_

 _Those who were listening paled in hearing Shoto's explanation and all of them hoped that Katsuki would say no to the offer._

" _And you want me as the rider? Would you really give up that position?" asked Katsuki still with narrowed eyes._

" _Your Quirk, as a part of the horse, isn't useful, but as the rider, you've free control of your hands."_

 _A sinister grin appeared on Katsuki's face "Fine, I'll join you, but as soon as the event is over, I will show you why you declared war on the wrong person in the locker room!"_

" _Fine by me." replied Shoto without blinking._

" _Now, who is the fucking fourth member?" snarled Katsuki while the others tried again to join him._

" _Excuse me." a calm but strong female voice was heard above everything and the students of class 1-A saw a girl with vines instead of hair standing a few feet away "Forgive me and the sin I committed, but I couldn't help listening to your speech. You want to defeat Izuku Midoriya, correct?"_

 _'_ She is the girl who has arrived in fifth position.' _thought Shoto before nodding "Yes, that's our goal."_

 _As soon as he had said those words, all the students nearby felt a strange pressure on their shoulders. Even Shoto and Katsuki couldn't help but slightly straighten their backs, yet the girl in front of them hadn't moved. She had just imperceptibly narrowed her eyes._

" _In that case, allow me to join you in this sacred task." she put her hands together in a symbol of prayer while closing her eyes and, strangely enough, a strange light appeared above the girl, giving her a more sacred and important air "The sins that he has committed, which stain his soul, I can feel them and for this I have to stop him..." she opened her eyes, looking at the students in front of her and the pressure returned stronger than before "During this event, Izuku Midoriya shall fall!"_

* * *

[ **U.A. – Sports Festival Stadium** / _Now_ ]

"DEEKUUUUUUUU!" Katsuki screamed, trying to hit Izuku's bike with one of his explosions, but Izuku managed to avoid the shot, steering the handlebars to the right. Behind him, several vines grabbed Katsuki before putting him back on top of his horse, which continued to chase the burning vehicle.

Immediately after the start of the event, Team Bakugo _(_ _Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, Tenya Iida and Ibara Shiozaki)_ had continued to pursue Team Midoriya _(Izuku Midoriya, Momo Yaoyorozu and Mei Hatsume_ _)_ , even managing to take the headbands of Team Kodai _(_ _Yui Kodai and Kojiro Bondo)_ and Team Kukidashi _(_ _Manga Fukidash_ _i_ _, Togaru Kamakiri_ _and_ _Nirengeki Shoda_ _)_.

"WE ARE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EVENT AND TWO OF THE TWELVE TEAMS IN PLAY HAVE ALREADY LOST THEIR HEADBANDS!" shouted Present Mic looking at monitor to his side "THIS CAVALRY BATTLE HAS STARTED WITH A BANG!" and again, everyone ignored the pun about Katsuki's Quirk.

" **They are persistent.** " said Izuku driving his chopper away from them " **Hatsume, do you have something to slow them down?** "

"Heh heh heh! Of course I have!" Mei picked up four little metallic spheres before throwing them on Tenya and the others "These babies will slow them down!" and in mid-air, the spheres exploded releasing a strange viscous liquid, but before it could take effect, a spike of ice was created from the ground, blocking the liquid and allowing Tenya to run alongside the block of ice, continuing with the pursuit.

"They're still behind us!" shouted Momo and, looking back, she had to admit that she was impressed by the control that Shoto had on his Quirk, succeeding in creating two trails of ice on the ground on which he and Ibara could slide holding their feet still while Tenya could run at full speed, without being slowed down by the ice.

"And they are not alone!" shouted a male voice from their right and, looking on that side, they saw Mezo running toward them all alone, with his arms forming a strange shelter on his back. From a small gap in his arms, above his head, several purple spheres were thrown but Izuku, having recognized them, quickly moved his right arm to create a wall of flames that melted the balls in midair.

" **Those were Mineta's-!** " Izuku was interrupted when a long tongue darted towards him, aiming at his headband, but this time an iron pipe smacked the tongue away.

"I got it!" said Momo while trying to catch her breath with the iron pipe in her hands.

"Nice hit, Yaoyorozu." said Tsuyu with her and Minoru now visible through the gap in the arms of Mezo.

' _ **Yaoyorozu is tired after having created all those components and certainly everyone will be aiming for us. I must be able to avoid fighting, after all we just need to keep our band to be sure to pass.**_ ' thought Izuku looking around and, surely enough, most of the teams were coming toward them ' _ **I only hope Hatsume and her gadgets can protect us from surprise attacks. This chopper is very big and is an easy target, I will have to focus on speed.**_ '

"Watch out!" shouted Momo and, looking ahead, Izuku saw a blur darting toward them but he managed to dodge the new opponent driving the chopper to the left.

"That won't save you!" said a female voice with a strange accent.

Momo looked back and was surprised to see a bespectacled beast-boy used as a horse with a black haired boy and a pony-girl on his back, but the strangest thing was that under the feet and hands of the beast boy there were what looked like horns and they were giving him the opportunity to move without even touching the ground.

"OH LOOKS LIKE TEAM RIN IS TAKING A SHOT AT THE BIG PRIZE!"

Much to Izuku's surprise, Team Rin _(Hiryu Rin, Pony Tsunotori and Jurota Shishida)_ managed to reach him in a few moments and when Momo tried to hit Hiryu with her iron pipe, he raised his left arm, now covered with scales, and parried the blow without any difficulty, before pointing both arms at the chopper's wheels, shooting several scales from his hands and even if they couldn't pierce the tires, they shook the vehicle slightly, forcing Momo to stop any attacks while Mei was trying to decide which gadget to use.

"Miss Tsunotori! Behind us!" shouted Jurota without looking back. Said girl glanced back in his place and saw Team Kaminari _(Denki Kaminari, Mashirao Ojiro, Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama)_ try to get their headband.

"Gotcha, dragon-boy!" said Denki reaching for Hiryu headband but, at the last moment, Team Rin managed to accomplish a back-flip and, when they were upside-down above Team Kaminari, Hiryu grabbed the headband of the blond boy, shocking him and his team.

"Got you, electric boy." replied Hiryu with a little smirk on his face.

"How the hell did they do that?!" shouted Denki while his team turned around to chase Team Rin.

To his left, Mashirao widened his eyes "Ah! Look! Those horns are the same as those on Tsunotori's head!"

"That must be her Quirk!" added Mina on the left.

"We need to slow them down! Aoyama, shoot at the ground!" said Denki pointing just below Team Rin.

"I'll show them my beautiful sparkle!" nodded Yuga before using his Quirk, even if the laser completely miss the target because Team Rin had already moved to another target.

"They are going for Jiro and the others!" noted Denki "Watch out!"

Not far from them, Team Hagakure _(Toru Hagakure, Kyoka Jiro, Koji Koda and Rikido Sato)_ turned after hearing his scream, just in time to see Team Rin fly over them but when Hiryu tried to get Toru's headband, Kyoka used her earlobes to hit his hand, preventing him from getting the prize.

"Good job Jiro!" said Toru "Now we can-!"

"Your Quirk is being invisible, right?" asked a male voice near them.

"Yeah, can't you see-?!" Toru shut up instantly, confusing her team and Team Kaminari but before they could ask her anything, the same male voice ordered her "Give me that headband." and, much to everyone's shock, Toru grabbed her own headband and threw it to the right, where it was taken by Hitoshi, who stared at them with a small smirk on his face.

"Thanks." and with that, his team ran away leaving behind two shocked teams.

"Hagakure! What the Hell?!" shouted Kyoka looking at her teammate who, even if they could not see it, was looking around with confused eyes.

"U-Uh?! W-What happened?!" asked Toru "Where's our headband?!"

"You just handed our headband to that guy!" said Kyoka with a pissed off look "After them!"

Not far from them, Team Mineta _(Minoru Mineta, Mezo Shoji and Tsuyu Asui)_ was busy gathering information about the current situation, using Mezo's tentacles to look all around.

"It seems that for the moment most of the teams are focused on Midoriya." said the masked student before feeling something on his back. Why did he feel heavier?

"Ah! What the Hell are these?!" shouted Minoru and Mezo opened his arms to look at his teammates, just to see both of them covered in various types of mushrooms.

"What the-?!" Mezo's surprise didn't last long because suddenly a huge hand grabbed Minoru, taking him away and, turning in that direction he and Tsuyu saw Team Kendo _(Itsuka Kendo, Reiko Yanagi, Setsuna Tokage_ _and_ _Kinoko Komori)_ , with Itsuka intent on removing the headband of Minoru using her other hand.

"Sorry, but we need points!" said Itsuka before tossing Minoru toward his team with Tsuyu who quickly caught him with her tongue.

"My beautiful mushrooms will last for a few hours if you don't remove them!" said Kinoko on Itsuka's right but before Minoru or the others could reply at that, Team Kendo was already moving away from them.

"Damn it! We lost our headband!" said Minoru while trying to tear away all the mushrooms, also receiving a tongue stroke for trying to remove those from Tsuyu's butt.

"We need to gain some points. Seven minutes have already passed, ribbit." said Tsuyu looking at one of the huge screens in the stadium.

"And we are not the only ones in trouble." added Mezo looking around just in time to see one team from their class clashing against one from class 1-B not too far from them "Uraraka is in trouble too."

As mentioned by him, Team Uraraka _(Ochaco Uraraka, Hanta Sero, Eijiro Kirishima and Fumikage Tokoyami)_ was in clear difficulty against Team Awase _(Yosetsu Awase, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Juzo Honenuki and Shihai Kuroiru)_ , with the rider who was just aiming at their headband.

"They don't want to give up!" said Hanta from Ochaco's right.

"We need to fight back!" yelled Ochaco before looking at the front of her horse "Kirishima, can you take on Tetsutetsu?!"

"I'll face him like a real man!" nodded Eijiro with a large grin on his face but it disappeared when he, as well as his teammates found themselves plunging into the ground suddenly become softer, almost like quicksand.

"We got them! Nice job Honezuki!" shouted Tetsutetsu not far from them.

"We can't get out!" said Hanta trying to run away but Ochaco stopped him "No, turn around! Quickly!" though he didn't know what she had in mind, Fumikage used his Quirk and Dark Shadow helped them turn to their opposing team "Sero! Aim for your tape at Tetsutetsu!" the black-haired boy did as requested and managed to attach his tape to Tetsutetsu's left shoulder, and he looked at them with a confused look.

"Wait...Uraraka don't tell me...!" Hanta looked at their opponents with worried eyes before being touched on the head by his rider who was using her Quirk on him and Fumikage "Rewind your tape! Kirishima, use your Quirk!"

"Got it!" nodded Eijiro hardening his whole body with the head tilted forward like a sort of ram. A few moments later, their team darted at full speed against Team Awase, taking advantage of the soft terrain as if they were doing water skiing.

' _They want to come against us like a cannonball and thanks to Uraraka's Quirk they can go much faster!_ ' thought Yosetsu with shocked eyes before screaming "Tetsutetsu!"

"I'm ready!" shouted the front of the horse already using his Quirk "I'll stop him like a real man!"

Moments later, the heads of Eijiro and Tetsutetsu impacted against each other, generating a small shock wave that made the two teams stagger, surprising all those who had witnessed the clash. Small cracks opened on the foreheads of the two boys but as Tetsutetsu and his team stumbled backwards, Team Uraraka managed to move forward.

' _How is it possible? They are lighter and should be more affected by the impact._ ' thought Juzo staring at them before noticing two detail: Ochaco's hands, that were positioned in the way for when she wanted to cancel the effects of her Quirk, and Dark Shadow who was behind them, holding the team together ' _Ah...they also thought about this but it will not be enough._ '

"We got this!" said Ochaco with a huge smile before grabbing the headband around Yosetsu's neck but when she pulled, the headband slipped away from her hand, remaining around his neck "UH?!"

"Sorry but..." Yosetsu grabbed her headband, managing to take it away "I merged my headband with my clothes! You can't take it!"

Before she could react, the ground beneath their feet became soft again and, as soon as their feet were submerged, it returned solid, locking them in place. Team Awase moved away soon after, aiming at other teams as Present Mic's voice was heard in the air.

"IT SEEMS THAT CLASS 1-B IS SHOWING ITS FANGS AND ITS FIGHTING SPIRIT! YOU JUST NEED TO LOOK AT THE SCOREBOARD TO UNDERSTAND IT!"

 **\- - - SCOREBOARD - - -**

1\. (A) TEAM MIDORIYA – 10000140 P

2\. (B) TEAM AWASE – 1230 P

3\. (A) TEAM BAKUGO – 1045 P

4\. (B) TEAM SHINSO – 710 P

5\. (B) TEAM KENDO – 645 P

6\. (B) TEAM RIN – 535 P

7\. (A) TEAM URARAKA – 0 P

8\. (A) TEAM HAGAKURE – 0 P

9\. (B) TEAM KODAI – 0 P

10\. (A) TEAM KAMINARI – 0 P

11\. (B) TEAM FUKIDASHI – 0 P

12\. (A) TEAM MINETA – 0 P

' _ **Half of the teams have dropped to zero points. Bakugo and his team are still aiming at us and I'm sure that soon they won't be alone.**_ ' thought Izuku looking at the scoreboard and, as expected, all 1-B teams were advancing towards him in an attempt to intercept his chopper ' _ **I just need to avoid them and we'll pass to the next phase.**_ '

His vehicle suddenly began to skid and, looking down, Izuku saw that the ground had suddenly become soft but that did not stop him from accelerating and regaining control of the chopper, also creating a wall of flame to his right to keep Team Awase away. However, a sudden gust of wind caught his attention and, looking in that direction, he was surprised to see Team Kendo pass through a gap in his wall of flames with Itsuka already intent on reaching him with a giant hand. With a quick movement of the arm, Izuku managed to create a short chain to lash Itsuka's hand but flying pieces struck it, protecting the girl who managed to grab him, yet Itsuka was forced to release him immediately when the flames escaped from his body, ripping a scream of pain from her.

" **If I were you I wouldn't try again, next I won't limit myself to flames.** " said Izuku looking at her while the flying pieces went back to be the left arm of Setsuna.

"Midoriya! On your left!" shouted Momo catching his attention just in time for him to avoid the hand of Hiryu who almost got the headband. However, his attention shifted to a large amount of wax-like liquid that appeared in front of them, courtesy of Team Kodai, forcing him to turn left, where he found himself in front of Team Hagakure and Team Fukidashi, and from Manga's face, a huge writing with the kanjis for "steel" came out, blocking the path of Izuku.

' _ **What the Hell is that?!**_ ' thought Izuku before throwing a sphere of fire at the "wall" in front of him but, much to his shock, the flames were melting the steel very slowly ' _ **Whatever it is, is quite resistant and now we are surrounded. We will have to break through by force!**_ '

"DEKUUU!"

Looking around, Izuku saw that at least seven teams were trying to reach for his headband and just when Team Bakugo and Team Kendo were close to collide with them, someone stole Izuku's headband, shocking everyone. Without hesitating, they looked up and were surprised to see Ochaco floating in midair with the headband of Izuku squeezed in one hand and a big smile on her lips.

"Sorry Midoriya!" said Ochaco before being taken away thanks to the tape of Hanta who was waiting for her with the rest of the team.

"INCREDIBLE! TEAM URARAKA STOLE THE GRAND PRIZE RIGHT FROM UNDER THEIR NOSES!" shouted Present Mic with the spectators going crazy with the cheers "MOST TEAMS ARE USING THIS STRATEGY BUT IS LEAVING YOUR UNIT REALLY ALLOWED?!"

"It is here, on a technicality!" nodded Midnight "As long as your feet don't touch the ground!"

"After her!" shouted Minoru with Mezo running toward Team Uraraka with the others but then, Ochaco and her team jumped, and they jumped very high.

"See you later!" said Hanta with a grin as he and the rest of the team floated upward, avoiding the assault of the other teams.

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MOVE! THANKS TO URARAKA'S QUIRK THEY'RE FLOATING IN THE AIR, AWAY FROM THE COMPETITION!"

"There are no rules against this." said Fumikage with a calm voice while Hanta fired his tape on one edge of the stadium roof, so they didn't get too far "Now we have just to wait for..."

"FIVE MINUTES LEFT IN THE GAME!"

"That fucking Round Face!" hissed Katsuki glaring at Team Uraraka with a clear idea to go up there and destroy them.

"Don't do it." said Shoto looking up as well "If you go up there we can not help you and Tokoyami's Quirk is quite versatile in defense."

"We're still in third position and currently, Midoriya will not be able to enter the next phase." noted Ibara while glaring at the flaming skeleton. Since he no longer had a headband she couldn't attack him without being expelled from the competition along with the rest of the team.

"You let your guard down!" shouted Minoru throwing his sticky balls at them while Mezo tried to close the distance between the teams with Tsuyu aiming at the headbands around Bakugo's neck with her tongue. However, their plan failed when the ground was frozen and a wall of ice formed in front of them, blocking the attacks of Minoru and Tsuyu while also immobilizing Mezo on the spot.

"Fucking small flies." growled Katsuki looking around "Let's just take all the headbands!"

Ibara looked away from Izuku, who was asking something to Mei, before noticing something: there were only ten teams on the ground. Team Uraraka was still floating above the stadium, but there was another team that wasn't forced to the ground. Widening her eyes, she looked behind but it was too late and Hiryu managed to grab the headbands of Katsuki surprising him and the others from class 1-A.

"I'm sorry Shiozaki, but we need to pass!" said Hiryu with a little smile on his smile before darting away with his team.

"They took our points! We need to take them back!" said Tenya already running after them but while Shoto was helping him with his ice and Ibara was looking around in search of a possible team with enough points, Katsuki was glaring at Team Rin with a murderous look.

"Those fuckers...I'm gonna kill them!"

"That would be a sin without forgiveness."

"Shut up Plant! We need to get those points! We need to take all the points!" said Katsuki with a growl "We can't just let them win like this!"

"For once, I agree with you." said Shoto following Team Rin with his cold eyes.

Katsuki slammed his right fist into his left palm, generating a little explosion "Half 'n' Half, use your ice and create a ramp to reach those fuckers! Four Eyes, use the move you used before and go as fast as you can! Plant, take down those shitty horns!"

Not wanting to argue, Shoto concentrated for a moment before creating a long ice ramp and, moments later, Tenya screamed "Recipro Burst!" before dashing forward at full speed. The team climbed the ramp before taking flight toward Team Rin, but Hiryu and Pony heard them coming and at last moment she controlled her horns to do a back flip again, finding themselves over Team Bakugo but upside down.

And it was at that moment that Team Rin's members noticed something strange.

Ibara? Present. Shoto? Present. Tenya? Present. Katsuki? Missing...

"Where did he-?" Hiryu's words died in his throat when he saw Katsuki in front of them with a homicidal look and smoking hands "Oh shi-!"

 **BOOM!**

The violent explosion in mid-air captured the attention of many who saw Katsuki fly over Team Rin with five headbands in his right hand before being retrieved by some green vines that brought him back to his team. On the other hand, Team Rin found themselves plummeting downwards as Ibara had stolen Pony's horns from under Jurota immediately after the somersault.

"Miss Tsunotori! Do something!" shouted the beast-boy while trying to adjust himself in midair before feeling the familiar sensation of Pony's horns under his hands and feet.

"They have anticipated our move! We must recover those points before time runs out!" said Hiryu pointing at Team Bakugo with Pony already moving her horns to chase them. Apparently they were slowing down after that explosion of speed and it was the perfect time to attack them, however, when they were just a few yards away from them, Ibara sent her vines toward Team Rin creating a net to stop them and, because of their speed, Pony couldn't stop her horns in time and so they were trapped in that net of vines.

"Damn it! Hurry up, we need to get out of here!" shouted Hiryu before suddenly feeling cold and looking at the vines, he saw that they were being covered by a layer of hoarfrost. Looking up a little, he saw that Ibara had removed the vines from her head and had passed them to Shoto, who was holding them with his right hand. The three members of Team Rin understood what was going to happen too late and in a few moments they were almost completely frozen, remaining only with the heads out of ice trap.

"IT SEEMS THAT TEAM RIN IS IN TROUBLE! IF THEY CAN'T FREE THEMSELVES, THERE WILL BE NO WAY FOR THEM TO RECOVER THE LOST POINTS!"

While Katsuki was placing the headbands around his neck giving orders to his team, not far away another team was struggling with Izuku and his vehicle and the situation wasn't the best.

"We can't slow him down!" said Juzo trying to stop Izuku's chopper with his Quirk but that vehicle was unstoppable!

"If I heard correctly, that pink haired girl's Quirk allows her to zoom in on what she sees. She must have seen our headbands and decided to aim for us." said Shihai with narrowed eyes since his Quirk was useless right now.

"We must face them like real men! He can't just hit us with that chopper!" shouted Tetsutetsu looking back with a fire in his eyes.

"He's right, we just need to be careful with Yaoyorozu!" nodded Yosetsu before telling his team to turn back, facing the incoming vehicle.

" **So they are no longer trying to escape.** " noted Izuku before stopping the chopper " **Hatsume, I'm leaving the rest to you.** "

"Heh heh heh you can count on me and my babies!" grinned Mei holding a strange rifle in her hands.

" **Yaoyorozu?** "

"I'm ready." nodded Momo keeping her hands under her shirt, hiding something.

" **Good, then let's ride!** " shouted Izuku before driving his chopper toward Team Awase who were waiting for them since Juzo used his Quirk to slow them down while also running toward them with Tetsutetsu ready to strike them but at the last second, Mei aimed with her rifle and pulled the trigger, shooting a strange claw with three hooks, attached to a metal rope, that was able to hook the headbands that Yosetsu had around his neck.

The black haired boy grinned at her "I'm sorry but those headbands are fused to my shirt! You can't take th-!"

 _RIIIP!_

Much to everyone's surprise, Yosetsu shirt was ripped away with the headbands and now Mei was holding them with one hand a grin on her face "Never underestimate my babies! This special 'hook and pull' could tear a door from its hinges!"

Izuku took advantage of their opponents' stunned faces to get away and create a wall of flame around them, just as several teams were heading towards them for their points. Itsuka used her giant hands again to wipe out the fire and Yui grew larger on Kojiro's shoulders to use the same technique, while Mina sprayed her acid at the base of the flames to try to turn them off and Shoto used the same technique but with his ice, however when they managed to create gaps in the flames, they were shocked to see that now, around the forehead and neck of Izuku, there were over forty headbands, all the same between them.

"What the-?!" Kyoka looked at him before shifting her gaze toward Momo "You used your Quirk to create duplicates!"

Momo showed a little smile "It's not against the rules after all!"

"I'll simply take all of them!" shouted Katsuki launching himself against Izuku whit the other teams following his example.

' _ **We still have to fight them off for a few seconds!**_ ' thought Izuku looking for a moment at one of the giant screens in the stadium before using his arm to block one of Katsuki's explosions and push him away, watching as he was caught by Ibara's vines which then tried to aim for his head and take several headbands but Izuku managed to grab some of them with one hand. He couldn't set them on fire because he didn't want to hurt Ibara but the girl tried to attack him with other vines and this time some headbands were taken, fortunately all duplicates, and she also managed to destroy the gadgets left to Mei, who screamed desperately for the loss of her babies.

Noting that Momo couldn't fight the other teams alone, Izuku tried to turn around to help her but realized that the vines had blocked his arm and, despite not using all his strength, he couldn't break them to free himself.

' _ **What the Hell are these things?!**_ ' not only he couldn't tore them apart, but their grip was getting stronger and stronger and they didn't seem at all affected by the flames around his bones that, much to his surprise, were starting to crack due to the pressure. The boy turned to Ibara, who was glaring at him with her cold green eyes while her hair was ready to attack again.

"Time to pay for your sins." hissed Ibara before sending her vines toward Izuku just when Katsuki jumped toward him with Itsuka and Yosetsu but just when they were about to grab some headbands, Present Mic's voice was heard in the air "TIME'S UP!" and the attackers fell to the ground as the vines of Ibara stopped a few inches from Izuku's face.

"LET'S SEE WHO THE TOP FOUR TEAMS ARE RIGHT NOW!" shouted Present Mic before adding "IN FIRST PLACE, TEAM URARAKA!"

After returning to the ground, the team members cheered but Ochaco immediately emptied her stomach on the ground, with Eijiro patting her back while saying "You have exceeded your limits like a real man!"

"T-thanks..." said Ochaco while Hanta and Fumikage could only sweatdrop at his words.

"IN SECOND PLACE, TEAM BAKUGO!"

"Shit, we couldn't take their points!" growled Bakugo punching the ground.

"We're still in the top four and that's what matters." said Shoto looking for a moment at a certain man among the stadium's stands with a cold glare.

"You did a good job with your Quirk, Shiozaki." nodded Tenya looking at the green-haired girl who merely gave them an emotionless look.

"Thank you, but don't expect me to join forces with sinners like you again."

"IN THIRD PLACE, TEAM MIDORIYA!"

"That went well..." said Izuku returning to his human form with the vehicle crumbling on itself.

"MY BABIES!"

Momo looked at him and then at Mei "Uh...should we help her?"

"I...guess so...?" replied Izuku with a sweatdrop before trying to calm their teammate.

"IN FOURTH PLACE, TEAM SHINSO!"

"Your tactic was useful." said Hitoshi with a grin.

"You're welcome." smiled Neito looking around "At least five students from class 1-B managed to pass."

"Five?" Kosei looked around with confused eyes "But only the three of us plus Shiozaki managed to pass..."

"Given that currently only fifteen participants have passed, we need a sixteenth participant who will be chosen among the members of Team Kendo!" shouted Midnight looking at said team "So, who's gonna be our last finalist?"

"You should go, Itsuka!" cheered Setsuna with a toothy smile, surprising her friend.

"Are you sure? You were admitted through recommendation. You would have more chances to be noticed by the pros." said Itsuka but Setsuna waved her off.

"Don't worry about that and besides, you're the stronger among us!" at her side, Reiko and Kinoko nodded at her.

Itsuka smiled back at them "Thank you, all of you!"

"Then it's decided! Itsuka Kendo joins the finalists!" said Midnight lashing the air with her whip. Soon after, Present Mic announced a lunch break for an hour and all the participants started to head towards the canteen chatting with each other.

"That was a real smart move, Uraraka." said Tenya at her friend.

"Thank you! But you were also cool during the battle!" smiled Ochaco before looking around "Did you see Midoriya by any chance?"

"Now that you mention it, I don't see him anywhere...and Todoroki, Bakugo and Shiozaki have also disappeared." noted Tenya searching his classmates and former teammate. Unbeknownst to them, Shoto had asked Izuku to follow him, and the two boys were now facing each other in an isolated corridor of the stadium.

"You wanted to talk, right?" asked Izuku looking at the younger boy who stared at him in silence for a few moments before speaking.

"As you probably know...Endeavor, the second greatest hero of Japan, is my father." Izuku arched an eyebrow at that "Every time I see you using your Quirk, I can not help but think about him and how much I hate that bastard."

Izuku narrowed his eyes ' _So he hates his own father...I can see now why he tried to avoid me at school_ _and why he's not using his left side_ _._ '

"Yeah, he's gone all out to make a name for himself as a hero, but he's always seen All Might as a roadblock and an eyesore. He could never beat All Might on his own, so he came up with another plan." Shoto looked at Izuku right in the eyes "Quirk marriages, you've heard of them, right? They started becoming a problem during the second or third generation after Quirks appeared. Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of passing on a strengthened version of their own Quirk. Those earlier generations were lacking in ethics."

Izuku didn't say anything, even though he already had a half-hearted idea of what Shoto was going to say.

"With his wealth and fame, my father made my mother's family agree to a marriage, all to get his hands on her Quirk. Raising me as a hero who could exceed All Might, just to fulfill his own ambitions and I hate it! Being no more than a tool for that human garbage!" the air in the corridor began to get colder and a layer of frost began to form on the wall behind Shoto "As I remember it, my mom was always crying...one day she said 'I can't stand to see that left side of yours', just before throwing scalding water in my face." this time even Izuku couldn't suppress a wince "In short, not using my left side is my revenge on him. Your Quirk is similar to his and All Might seems to have been interested in you, therefore defeating you without using my left side...by rising to the top without using his Quirk I'll have denied him everything."

A tense silence fell on the corridor but after a few seconds, Shoto began to walk away "I don't know why All Might has an eye for you...either way, I'll rise above you with just my right side. Sorry for wasting your time."

"You're really stupid, you know?"

Shoto stopped immediately, turning just to look at Izuku, who was glaring at him with a pissed off look.

"I can understand perfectly why you hate your father, anyone in your place would hate him, but the fact that you are only using half your power during such an important event..." his right arm was already being devoured by his flames which were slowly moving to his face " **...it really makes me angry.** **This is an incredible opportunity for all students of this school. All of them are striving to be noticed by the pros and to become heroes, while you are using only half your power so that you can deny your father any victory. From what I know of Endeavor, he is not well seen by the others, and for him all people are simple pebbles in the middle of the road, obstacles to be overcome or milestones to be added on his road to greatness...and you behave exactly like him.** " Shoto widened his eyes in shock while also clenching his fists " **You want to be a hero and reach the top only to be able to get revenge on him, using others to achieve your goal while using only half your power, when there are people out there who want to become heroes but don't have a suitable Quirk or abilities to be a hero.** **I for one do not deserve to be in this school after all I've done, but you're not worthy to wear that uniform when all you're thinking about is how to take revenge on your father! You want to fight me using only half my power? Very well,** _ **son of Endeavor**_ **...** " he spat those words as if they were poison " **In that case, if we were to end up against each other, then I will not use all my power since I don't want to waste it on a simple tool like you.** " and after a brief blaze that evaporated the frost, Izuku returned to his human form before leaving, ignoring Katsuki who was currently hidden behind a corner, intent on listening to their conversation, but unbeknown to him, Izuku already knew that he was there since the beginning.

He continued to walk until he was in the innermost area of the stadium and the corridor was deserted, except for a person standing a few feet away from him. Izuku recognized her immediately thanks to her vines-like-hair.

"I was looking for you, Izuku Midoriya." said Ibara with an emotionless voice.

"I wonder why..." replied Izuku staring at her while feeling something like phantom pain in his left arm, where she had blocked him during the cavalry battle.

"I don't understand why you are here, but I know your soul is stained with sins." continued Ibara ignoring his words "And it is my sacred mission to eradicate all sins and sinful people."

Izuku slightly narrowed his eyes. Was she referring to the people he had killed? They were all guilty of something but in the end they were dead, however, it was strange that she was aiming at him. Apparently his appearance didn't inspire much trust in people like her, yet before he could reply, Ibara turned and left without saying a word.

Izuku stared at her for a few seconds before heading for the cafeteria to get something to eat. After the lunch break, all the various participants returned to the center of the stadium and Izuku, like everyone else, was surprised to see the girls in his class wearing cheerleader uniforms, and he had to admit that Momo wasn't bad at all dressed like that, even though he was unnerved by the fact that they had been deceived by Minoru and Denki.

After a few comments to the audience, Present Mic shouted "BETWEEN THE SIXTEEN FINALISTS FROM THE CAVALRY BATTLE, WE'LL HAVE A FORMAL TOURNAMENT! A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES!"

The students started talking to each other, wondering about some things and the tournament itself until Midnight came back to the stage "The match-ups will be decided by drawing lots. Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! It's up to each of you sixteen finalists whether or not you participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a breather and save your strength!" nobody said anything and, one by one, the sixteen finalists went to extract a number "And here are the match-ups!"

Izuku and everyone else looked at the giant screens in the stadium.

 **\- - - TOURNAMENT - - -**

 **GROUP A**

 **Midoriya vs. Shinso**

 **Todoroki vs. Monoma**

 **Shiozaki vs. Sero**

 **Iida vs. Hatsume**

 **GROUP B**

 **Kendo vs. Kirishima**

 **Yaoyorozu vs. Tokoyami**

 **Kaibara vs. Uraraka**

 **Bakugo vs. Tsuburaba**

' _Shinso...that guy from the general studies..._ ' thought Izuku looking at Hitoshi who was staring at the screen with a bored expression ' _I need to be careful. His Quirk is unknown to me..._ '

At that moment, Present Mic announced the start of recreational activities before the tournament and Izuku took the opportunity to go to rest in an isolated place, being imitated by many others. Within an hour, the events ended and the sixteen finalists returned to the stadium where Cementoss was using his Quirk to create a huge concrete ring.

"HEY GUYS, ARE YOU READY?! YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL TO GET HERE! BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE ONE-ON-ONE TOURNAMENT! YOU'VE ONLY GOT YOURSELF TO RELY ON! EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A HERO, THIS SAYING HOLD TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT!" shouted Present Mic while the ring was completed "SPIRIT, TECHNIQUE, STRENGTH, WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE! USE 'EM ALL AND SHOW US YOUR BEST!"

Near one of the two entrances to reach the ring, Izuku took a deep breath waiting to be called for his fight, when All Might arrived behind him.

"Good luck with your fight, young Midoriya."

"Thanks, I'll do my best." nodded Izuku with a little smile.

"There are many pros in the audience interested in you. I'm sure you will not disappoint them." grinned All Might before patting on the back "It's your time to shine."

Izuku nodded again before walking toward the light just when Present Mic was announcing him "THE FIRST MATCH! IT'S THE MOST FEARED SKELETON IN THE WORLD! THE NIGHTMARE OF ALL VILLAINS! IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA FROM THE HERO COURSE!" Izuku walked on the ring, staring ahead of him "VERSUS!" Hitoshi walked out as well, looking at Izuku with his bored eyes "SORRY, BUT THIS GUY HASN'T REALLY DONE ANYTHING TO STAND OUT YET! IT'S HITOSHI SHINSO FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES!"

After a couple of seconds, Present Mic started with the rules "WIN BY KNOCKING YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF THE RING, IMMOBILIZING THEM OR GETTING THEM TO SAY 'I GIVE UP'! BRING THE PAIN! WE'VE GOT OUR GOOD OLD RECOVERY GIRL ON STANDBY AND FIGHT DIRTY IF YOU MUST! ETHICS HAVE NO MEANING HERE! OF COURSE, GOING FOR THE KILL IS A NO-NO! YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED!"

"In that case, I'll stop you." said Cementoss waving at them with a smile.

"I give up huh..." said Hitoshi looking at Izuku "Get it, Midoriya? This battle going's to test your strength of will."

"Yeah? So what?" asked Izuku staring at him.

"NOW LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED!"

"This is an important place for all those who want to become heroes. I still do not understand what someone like you is doing here." added Hitoshi with a glare, with Izuku glaring back at him.

"REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADY!"

"You are simply a killer, not a hero. Tell me, do you remember the faces of the people you killed?"

"STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!"

Izuku clenched his fists while walking toward him "Of course I do and-!" but he suddenly stopped in place, staring into space in front of him.

"It's my win." said Hitoshi with a cold voice while the audience stared in confusion at Izuku.

"HEY HEY WHAT'S WRONG?! SHOW US SOME SPIRIT!" shouted Present Mic "MERE SECONDS INTO THE MATCH, MIDORIYA'S...FROZEN IN PLACE?! LOOKING CONFUSED, HE'S NOT EVEN TWITCHING! COULD THIS BE SHINSO'S QUIRK?!"

All the audience continued to watch the ring in confusion as Present Mic argued with Shota next to him but after a few seconds, Hitoshi spoke again "You're probably in this school to redeem yourself...but it doesn't matter now. Turn around and walk out of the ring."

After a second of waiting, Izuku turned and started walking towards the exit without saying anything.

"WHOA! MIDORIYA'S FOLLOWING ORDERS LIKE A GOOD LITTLE BOY!"

As Present Mic kept talking, Izuku was constantly screaming in his mind while the edge of the ring was getting closer and closer.

' _My body! It won't listen! I can't stop it! My head...is so fuzzy...no I can't!_ '

' _ **...no...**_ '

' _Huh...?_ '

' _ **No!**_ '

' _W-what is this voice?! Where does it come from?_ '

' _ **NO! I WON'T BE TRICKED AGAIN! I WON'T BE CONTROLLED AGAIN! I WON'T ALLOW IT!**_ '

Much to everyone's surprise, a huge column of fire bursted out from Izuku's body, burning the ring beneath his feet for a few seconds as a violent wave of hot air hit the spectators and Hitoshi, forcing them to cover their faces to protect themselves. from the heat. After a few seconds, the heat diminished and everyone could look back, and the first thing they saw was Izuku in its skeletal form, standing a few centimeters from the edge of the ring.

' _Why did he stop? How is it possible that he can transform even when he is under my control?_ ' thought Hitoshi with narrowed eyes "What are you waiting for? Get out of the ring!"

For a few seconds, Izuku stood still but then raised his flaming skull and slowly turned to Hitoshi who, despite his calm, couldn't hold back the shivers that ran down his back. He had already seen Izuku in that form but he had never experienced anything like that.

Something inside Hitoshi was screaming at him to get out of there. His instincts were telling him clearly that the one in front of him was _not_ Izuku Midoriya.

 _Not anymore._

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 10: FLAMES VS. FLAMES!**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the ninth chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was shorter than the previous one but I did not know how to stretch the cavalry battle. The next chapter will follow the tournament and I hope to finish it all in one chapter, otherwise I will divide it into two chapters! I hope you will continue to follow this story!**

 **Meanwhile, here is a list of teams that could serve you as well!**

* * *

 **CAVALRY BATTLE TEAMS**

 **Izuku Midoriya: 1000000 - Momo Yaoyorozu: 130 - Mei Hatsume: 10 = 10000140**

 **Katsuki Bakugo: 195 - Tenya Iida: 205 - Shoto Todoroki: 200 - Ibara Shiozaki: 190 = 790**

 **Yosetsu Awase: 155 - Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu: 165 - Juzo Honenuki: 185 - Shihai Kuroiru: 65 = 570**

 **Hitoshi Shinso: 80 - Neito Monoma: 35 - Sen Kaibara: 105 - Kosei Tsuburaba: 100 = 320**

 **Toru Hagakure: 25 - Kyoka Jiro: 110 - Koji Koda: 115 - Rikido Sato: 140 = 390**

 **Ochaco Uraraka: 135 - Hanta Sero: 175 - Eijiro Kirishima: 170 - Fumikage Tokoyami: 180 = 660**

 **Minoru Mineta: 125 - Mezo Shoji: 145 - Tsuyu Asui: 150 = 420**

 **Itsuka Kendo: 75 - Reiko Yanagi: 85 - Setsuna Tokage: 20 - Kinoko Komori: 45 = 225**

 **Denki Kaminari: 95 - Mashirao Ojiro: 160 - Mina Ashido: 120 - Yuga Aoyama: 5 = 380**

 **Yui Kodai: 60 - Kojiro Bondo: 90 = 150**

 **Hiryu Rin: 55 - Pony Tsunotori: 30 - Jurota Shishida: 70 = 155**

 **Manga Fukidashi: 15 - Togaru Kamakiri: 40 - Nirengeki Shoda: 50 = 105**

* * *

 **REPLIES TO REVIEWS**

 **Waffenmia: No, this is a Izuku x Momo, not a Izuku x Harem. Sorry about that**

 **mastergamer14: I don't know, we'll see in the future**

 **ahsoei: Not if he doesn't want, it's like with his clothes**

 **LucklessBlock86: That's one of Ghost Rider powers, while for the second part it's a no, I won't move the timeline like that**

 **: After the tournament I'll change his name**

 **CanadianBlitz: Yes, Izuku is "limited" when he's in control so he can be defeated**

 **Dreams of NoBody: He's after the trauma, since he's killed for years and he had friends to help him with said trauma**

 **That's all for now! See you around!**


	11. Flames vs Flames!

**CHAPTER 10: FLAMES VS. FLAMES!**

"Talking"

"SHOUTING"

' _Thinking_ '

" **Deep Voice / Demonic Voice** "

[ **Place** / _Time_ ]

 **\- § - § - § -**

 **A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.**

 **\- § - § - § -**

A surreal silence had fallen on the stadium when Izuku had suddenly transformed into his skeletal counterpart. Some of the spectators were whispering to each other, almost afraid of being heard by him, wondering what had happened, yet none of them had an answer.

In the stands reserved for festival participants, the various students in the class 1-A seemed to be in the same state of confusion.

"Hey hey, am I wrong or is something wrong?" asked Denki with a worried face.

"Midoriya seemed to be under Shinso's control, but as soon as he transformed he stopped..." added Hanta with a matching face.

Not far from them, Ochaco looked at the student beside her with uncertain eyes "Iida, isn't this like...?"

"Yes..." the bespectacled boy nodded with a drop of sweat running down his face "It's like that time he transformed when the alarm went off because of the media..."

"Do you t-think he will do something r-risky?" asked the girl, feeling a strange anxiety pervading her chest.

"I really hope not...or it will end very badly for him..." said Tenya looking at the stadium "With all the heroes gathered here it would be crazy to do something compromising..."

Not knowing what else to say, the two could only hope that their friend would do nothing that he would later regret.

Down in the arena, Hitoshi was still incredulous from what he had just seen. Izuku had managed to transform himself despite his mind control and had even stopped before leaving the ring, going against his order. Hitoshi had never had a chance to train with his Quirk, but he knew that, without outside help, it wasn't possible to escape the effects of his Brainwashing.

"You were able to get rid of my control?" he then asked, hoping to make his opponent talk again even if a part of his mind was still shouting at him to get out of there "Did you remember the people you killed? Is that what made you transform?!"

However, despite those questions, Izuku didn't answer and after a few seconds, he started walking slowly towards Hitoshi, leaving behind a trail of flaming footprints. The student from the general studies stepped back, suddenly intimidated by Izuku's presence.

' _What is this?! During the other events his presence wasn't so oppressive! Now he seems about to kill me at any moment!_ ' thought Hitoshi with a pale face, taking another step back.

On either side of the arena, Midnight and Cementoss watched Izuku with worried eyes, ready to intervene if necessary. The R-rated hero knew that her Quirk wouldn't serve against him, being a skeleton without lungs, but she hoped that her colleague had the power to stop him, because otherwise they would have had quite a few problems.

' _What's more, Aizawa told us that his Quirk is ineffective against Izuku...I really hope the kid knows how to control himself._ ' thought Midnight gripping her whip as the flaming skeleton was now in front of a terrified Hitoshi.

Without saying anything, Izuku grabbed Hitoshi by his shirt and lifted him into the air without any difficulty before looking him straight in the eye, now that there were only a few inches between them. Unconsciously, most of the audience held their breath when they saw him take that action and not even Present Mic dared to speak.

Hitoshi could only stare into those empty eye sockets while his own soul seemed to be judged by something, but then he saw Izuku tilt his head slightly and, next thing he knew, he was flying against Midnight. The woman barely had time to open her arms before being thrown down along with the student due to the impact, which made them tumble several meters before stopping.

And just like that, the tension that hung over the stadium vanished.

Many of the heroes present sighed with relief as the civilians began to talk to each other, much more relaxed now that Izuku had not tried to incinerate his opponent.

"T-THE MATCH HAS ONLY LASTED A FEW SECONDS, BUT THOSE WERE AMONG THE MOST INTENSE SECONDS OF MY LIFE!" shouted Present Mic, with a much more serene voice "WITH ONLY ONE MOVE, MIDORIYA THREW SHINSO OUT OF THE RING, THEREFORE THE VICTORY GOES TO THE FLAMING SKELETON!"

Outside the ring, Midnight raised a hand just to confirm what was just said by Present Mic, then to make sure that Hitoshi was fine and, fortunately, he was just a little shaken. However, now that the various spectators had begun to speak again, only the two of them could hear those words that made them wince in fear.

" **The next time you try to control me...** " the two looked towards the ring, where Izuku was still in his flaming form " **Your soul will burn in Hell, be it pure or not.** " and with those words, the young boy returned to his human form, shaking his head while holding a hand against his forehead.

"Ugh...w-what the Hell..." said Izuku looking around.

"Midoriya...are you okay?" asked Midnight standing between him and Hitoshi.

Izuku looked at his teacher for a few moments before nodding "Yeah...just a slight headache, Shinso's Quirk must have reacted badly with mine..."

' _That's an understatement..._ ' thought the woman raising an eyebrow "If you say so...anyway, victory is yours so get out of the ring, so we can go on with the matches."

Izuku quickly bowed before leaving the ring, looking for a moment at Hitoshi, who looked back at him with frightened eyes. Shaking his head, Izuku returned to the corridor and after a few steps, he found himself facing a familiar face.

"Young Midoriya!" Toshinori said with a worried look "What happened out there? You were about to come out of the ring as if you were hypnotized and then you suddenly transformed! I feared for a moment that you were going to hurt young Shinso!"

Izuku sighed "I honestly don't know...when I replied to him, it was like my body stopped responding but it was a different feeling than when my Quirk takes control." he then looked at his own hand "When I was about to leave the ring, I heard a voice in my head. I never heard that voice, but it seemed angry and whoever it was said it would never be tricked or controlled again."

Toshinori scratched the back of his head "Well...this doesn't help us much. The only thing that comes to mind is that your Quirk is somehow as sentient as young Tokoyami's, but in a completely different way...even if the second part is the most confusing."

Izuku could only shrug "There are seven more matches before I have to go back out there. I will try to meditate or relax in some way."

"That's a wonderful idea. I advise you to go to Recovery Girl, in case you can ever give yourself a pill to calm your nerves. Perhaps all this is caused by stress." nodded Toshinori before walking away with the young boy.

At the end of the corridor they met Shoto, but the son of Endeavor didn't stop even for a second and continued to walk towards the arena. Watching him leave, Izuku could only shake his head "With that attitude, he risks making a mistake and losing."

"You may be right...but only for the last part." said Toshinori, catching Izuku's attention "I am also a teacher for the class 1-B, and I can tell you that many of those young students could give young Todoroki and young Bakugo a hard time."

"Even his opponent, Monoma?"

The blond hero could only nod "Especially young Monoma..."

* * *

"ALL RIGHT! AFTER A SHORT BUT INTENSIVE FIRST MATCH, IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD! THEREFORE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO SHOTO TODOROKI, THE ICE PRINCE FROM CLASS 1-A!" shouted Present Mic, with the crowd that cheered as soon as Shoto came out into the sunlight, walking in the ring with a calm face.

"AND HIS OPPONENT! THE MASTERMIND FROM CLASS 1-B, NEITO MONOMA!"

The blond student approached his adversary, greeting the crowd with a serene smile on his lips, before stopping a few meters from Shoto. After looking around for a moment, Neito asked "I guess a big shot like you is above frivolous things like a handshake before the match, right?" when Shoto remained silent without giving him an answer, the blond chuckled "Ah so you consider yourself so superior that you think it is useless to answer me eh? Class 1-A's arrogance knows no boundaries."

"STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!"

"Guess I'll be the one to take you down a peg or two..." grinned Neito before being completely blocked by ice up to his neck, shocking the entire stadium.

"HOLY-! TODOROKI HASN'T WASTE A SECOND AND HAS ALREADY BLOCKED MONOMA!" shouted Present Mic with shocked eyes, looking at the iceberg created by the son of Endeavor "IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS MATCH WILL ALSO BE OVER IN A SINGLE INSTANT?!"

Midnight stared at the enormous mass of ice before shaking her head and moving her eyes to Neito who, despite everything, was still smiling "Monoma, can you move?"

"Mh..." he looked up for a moment with thoughtful eyes before smirking "Yes."

At that moment, his arms and legs began to rotate like drills, destroying his ice coffin, much to Shoto's surprise. Neito wasted no time and dashed toward him with his arms already rotating before trying to hit his opponent, but Shoto managed to create a wall of ice. His defense was however destroyed by a fist of Neito who then tried again to hit the son of Endeavor, this time with a kick, however Shoto created a column of ice from under his feet.

As with the wall of ice, Neito managed to destroy the ice construct without difficulty but when Shoto found himself in midair, he moved his right arm, creating several spikes of ice with which he tried to hit the class 1-B's student. Neito jumped to the side, avoiding all the blows and then remaining in a crouch while Shoto landed a few meters from him but this time he did not try to attack his opponent with a wave of ice, merely observing him.

"What, have you already understood that your ice is useless against my Quirk?" grinned Neito without moving "You're pretty smart...but not enough!"

Before Shoto could understand what he was referring to, something hit him at the base of the neck.

The blow was not too strong, but it was more than enough to temporarily stun him and make him stagger forward. Despite his confusion, Shoto managed to stay on his feet and hear Neito's amused words "Um...I guess this is the difference between me and Kendo. One of her chops would have at least made you fall to your knees."

Shaking his head to recover, Shoto was able to bring his gaze back to Neito, just in time to see his left hand reattaching to the rest of his body.

' _He can also detach parts of his body and control them from a distance? So he has two Quirks?_ ' narrowing his eyes, Shoto tried to think about a strategy to fight him, but Neito started to laugh, catching his attention "Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing, really!" said Neito raising his hands in defense "I was just thinking that with a Quirk like yours you should have already won! Here, let me show you how to use your power!" and, under the shocked eyes of Shoto and the whole stadium, Neito's left arm was suddenly enveloped in flames, as a layer of ice began to expand from beneath his right foot.

"It's time to warm up the situation, but please don't lose your coolness." said Neito with a sinister light in his eyes.

* * *

"What the hell?! He also has his Quirk?!" shouted Eijiro looking at the match with incredulous eyes, just like everyone else in his class "How's that possible?!"

"He's a fucking copycat." growled Katsuki with narrowed eyes, confusing his classmates.

"A...copycat?" repeated Hanta tilting his head to the side.

"During the last event I saw the guy with him use that drill-like-Quirk, while the girl in team with Giant Hands had detached parts of her body with complete freedom." sitting not far away, Itsuka shot him a dirty look due to the nickname "That fucker simply copied their Quirks."

"So he can copy Quirks? Man, that's so unfair!" complained Denki with a sigh "That's way too strong!"

' _No, it's not, you fucking Pikachu!_ ' thought Katsuki while still looking at the match ' _He must have limits with a Quirk like that...for example he can't use two Quirks at the same time, otherwise he would have used the first two together to hit Half 'n' Half in the back._ '

"Wait...does it mean that Todoroki will use his flames? It would be the first time." noted Rikido with the others nodding at his words.

' _He won't use them..._ ' thought Izuku narrowing his eyes ' _He'll try to win while using only his ice..._ '

* * *

A huge wave of flames crashed against Shoto, but the son of Endeavor created a large amount of ice to counter the fire, however he was then forced to throw himself aside to avoid the flames that were about to overwhelm his attack. Without waiting, he created another wave of ice aiming at Neito, who countered it with an identical move, causing an explosion of ice fragments.

"Fighting only with your ice will make you lose, but you know that already! Your body is already experiencing the first effects of hypothermia!" mocked Neito firing a stream of fire from his left hand "I know it well, since I'm using the same power!" slamming his foot firmly on the ground, he created a wave of ice more powerful than the previous one that managed to prevail against that of Shoto, forcing him to jump again to the side.

"I wonder if yours is just arrogance or even ignorance!" another stream of fire "Your father is the famous Endeavor, yet you're not even using his flames! Afraid to disappoint him?!"

Shoto's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth. Disappoint him? Disappoint him?! That was the picture that his opponent had imagined? That he was afraid to disappoint that bastard of his father?!

Remaining still with his head tilted forward, Shoto started to create ice around his right foot while Neito pointed his left hand at him "Well, if this is your brilliant strategy to win...I'd say I'm pretty disappointed." and with those words, he fired a flood of flames at Shoto who, however, did not try to avoid the attack.

He simply let himself be enveloped by the fire, shocking his opponent and all the spectators.

' _What the...has he decided to give up?_ ' thought Neito before stopping the stream of flames, looking at the wall of steam created by his attack ' _Luckily the air wasn't too cold...otherwise I would have risked destroying everything._ '

With his usual smile, he turned to tell Midnight to call the end of the match but a sudden tremor caught his attention and, from the steam, Shoto popped up, dashing towards him thanks to a flow of ice created by his right leg. Before Neito could defend himself with any Quirk, his opponent managed to grab his face with the right hand and only then did the blond realize that Shoto's body was no longer covered with frost.

' _He has canceled the effects of hypothermia?! How-?! Ah...how ironic..._ ' Neito tried to use his flames, but his face was already wrapped in ice, bringing him to a state of near-fainting ' _I wanted to defeat him with his Quirk and instead I helped him win..._ '

In the next instant, his entire body was locked up in an ice coffin.

A surreal silence reigned in the stadium before Midnight, after a careful look at both competitors, raised her whip "Monoma is no longer able to fight! The winner is Todoroki!"

With those words, the spell broke and the whole stadium burst into a chorus of applause, screams and whistles as Shoto used his left hand to melt the ice around Neito. The blond student then fell to his knees trying to catch his breath "That was really risky, you know...?"

"Sorry about that." said Todoroki without appearing really sorry before turning on his heels "Seeing that Quirk made me very angry."

Without waiting for a reply, he simply walked away, shooting a cold look at a man in particular in the crowd.

* * *

"Man, that was intense!" said Denki with sweat running down his face "But I didn't understand how Todoroki managed to survive in the end. The fire should have roasted him!"

"He used fire to help himself." explained Momo with a hand on her chin "From what I've seen, Todoroki can't use his ice freely because his body's temperature probably goes down too much if he abuses that power...that's why when Monoma attacked with his flames, Todoroki used them to raise his body temperature."

"Whaaaaat?! That's like super dangerous!" shouted Mina with shocked eyes, mimicked by many others, except two...

"That was so...so..." Tetsutetsu and Eijiro raised their fists at the same time with tears in their eyes "SO MANLY!"

"I hope he doesn't decide to do the same against Midoriya...that would be far more risky. Ribbit."

Strangely, no one could object to Tsuyu's words.

* * *

"WE ARE ONLY ON THE THIRD MATCH AND WE HAVE ALREADY ASSISTED TO SOMETHING INCREDIBLE! THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT IS FULL OF SURPRISES!" the voice of Present Mic echoed in the whole stadium "BUT AS I SAID, IT'S TIME FOR THE THIRD COUPLE OF FIGHTERS!"

The crowd cheered as the first student made his entrance in the arena.

"THIS GUY'S SOMEHOW STILL AS PLAIN AS THEY COME DESPITE BEING IN THE CREME OF THE CROP! FROM CLASS 1-A, HANTA SERO!"

' _Ouch...he really had to introduce me like this...? And besides Ojiro is more plain than me!_ ' thought Hanta with a sigh while his opponent walked toward him.

"VERSUS...CLASS 1-B'S ASSASSIN! THE QUEEN OF THORNS! IBARA SHIOZAKI!"

Seeing her expression completely concentrated, Hanta prepared for a relentless assault but at the last second, she turned to Present Mic "Pardon my objection, but what exactly did you mean by 'assassin'? I have merely come this far seeking victory in the name of God."

"S-SORRY ABOUT THAT!"

' _Class B's got all the types huh?_ ' wondered Hanta looking at the girl who was still talking, now to everyone, about her duty and...where did the divine light come from? But then, Present Mic announced the beginning of the match ' _Oh man...I'm not a bad guy and I don't want to immobilize her with my tape...not after what happened with Hagakure..._ ' he still suffered from phantom pains since that day ' _But I really want to win!_ '

Without waiting for Ibara to turn, Hanta fired two strips of tape from his elbows, wrapping his opponent's chest and ankles before rotating on his axis to drag her out of the ring using the strength of his tape. His plan failed a second after its implementation, when he realized that he couldn't move Ibara, not even by a millimeter.

Looking in her direction with confused eyes, he was shocked to see that her vines-like hair had lengthened and had sunk into the ring, holding her in place. Slowly she turned her head towards him and Hanta felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Attacking a girl from behind while she is spreading the word of God..." her blue eyes went cold as ice "Such a sinful person doesn't deserve to advance in this tournament."

Before Hanta could tear off his tape and try to attack her again, Ibara's vines stretched further, tearing through the two strips of tape before immobilizing her opponent, raising him in the air as if crucified.

Seeing this show of strength, Midnight whistled "I think you and Kamui Woods are almost on the same level. Sero, can you move?"

"Are you kidding right?" deadpanned Hanta before wincing "Ow ow ow! This thorns are painful!"

"AND EVEN THIS MATCH IS OVER IN AN INSTANT! THE WINNER IS SHIOZAKI!" shouted Present Mic while said girl lowered Hanta on the ground before freeing him. Without then bothering to look at him, she left the ring in the rain of applause from the crowd.

* * *

"She is really strong." noted Kyoka with a raised eyebrow "Her Quirk is incredibly versatile."

"Of course she's strong!" shouted Tetsutetsu, catching class 1-A's attention "She came fourth in the entrance exam! Her Quirk is not a joke at all!"

"You came eighth, yet you are not even in the tournament." Setsuna sniped with a grin making him on the ground "Come one, you're still cool!"

"The next match is between Iida and that girl of the support course huh..." Eijiro looked at the others "Who do you believe will win?"

"Well...Iida is very strong but from what I understand that girl can use the gadgets she created, so she might even have a few tricks up her sleeve." replied Denki with a shrug.

Ochaco pointed at the ring with a smile "We'll find out soon, they're about to start!"

* * *

"AND NOW THE LAST MATCH OF THE FIRST BLOCK! THE FIRST PARTECIPANT IS THE ONLY STUDENT OF THE SUPPORT COURSE WHICH HAS BEEN ABLE TO QUALIFY FOR THE TOURNAMENT! MEI HATSUME!" Present Mic pointed at said girl, as she walked with a smile on her face and several gadgets visible on her, before shifting his gaze to the other side of the arena "AND HER OPPONENT IS ONE OF THE FASTEST STUDENTS OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL! TENYA IIDA FROM CLASS 1-A!"

Tenya walked with a firm and determined gaze but everyone immediately realized how he too had several gadgets visible on his body. Midnight pointed at him with her whip "Aren't those forbidden for the hero course students? You have to put in a special request for those things beforehand."

"Ah I'm terribly sorry! I had forgotten this rule!" Tenya bowed in her direction "But since my opponent offered her gadgets voluntarily out of pure sportsmanship, I wasn't able to say no!"

"WELL THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME..."

"If both parties are fine with it, I think we can allow this...right?" said Shota while sitting at Present Mic's right.

"Well in that case, you're free to use them." nodded Midnight and so the match finally began.

Tenya didn't hesitate for a moment and ran to Mei so that he could finish the match quickly but she simply smiled "You're really fast, Iida!"

' _A microphone?_ ' wondered Tenya as she talked about the gadgets around his legs, which were made to make his muscles work less, thus allowing him to conserve his energies. When he was only a few meters away from her, however, Mei jumped high thanks to her special boots that allowed her to hover in the air thanks to a combination of fans and magnetic energy.

"Fighting against fast people like you is really a problem, but for all problems there is a solution!" the girl told him, while glancing at some men in business suits among the crowd "One possible solution is this!"

When Tenya tried again to grab her, a violent flash generated from the device mounted on her chest that blinded him momentarily, allowing Mei to jump away from him. Spinning on herself, she tossed a metal sphere at his feet and, after a short beep, the sphere released a greenish liquid onto the ground that looked like mud but as soon as Tenya tried to move, he found himself stuck on the ground.

"What the-?!"

"Quick enemies can be easily slowed down or stopped! For example with my slime sphere!" Mei looked at the crowd as if she was trying to sold them her gadgets.

And in fact it was just what she was doing.

"Guh! I'll never be stopped by something like this!" shouted Tenya before bursting out of that trap with the pure power of his Quirk, surprising for a moment Mei. She jumped up again, this time taking advantage of two retractable iron rods mounted on her waist before firing a grappling hook on the ground and landing quickly.

"Obviously there are people fast but also strong! Able to get rid of such a trap! In that case there are other ways to stop them!" she quickly threw a strange white device against Tenya who avoided it without difficulty but, when he approached his opponent to push her out of the ring, he saw Mei with a smile on her face and a detonator in her hand "Admire my automatic speed-revealing lasso!"

As soon as she pressed the button, Tenya found himself with a metal wire around his ankles that made him fall, making his face slam against the ring.

"D-Damn you!"

"And if by chance you wanted to make your opponent get closer or away from you, all you have to do is do it!" said Mei without losing her smile before pressing another button and, soon after, Tenya was dragged away from her, toward the device. It lasted a few seconds, but he hated each of those seconds, until he stopped and felt the cable loosen until he was completely free.

"Good! Now-!"

"Iida is out of the ring! Hatsume moves on to the second round!" announced Midnight raising her whip with a sympathetic look on her face.

Tenya stared at her with shocked eyes before looking down, noting at that moment that the device launched by Mei had dragged him out of the ring, albeit a few inches.

"Phew...that was some good stuff!" said Mei wiping off the sweat from her forehead "In the next match you will see something even more special!"

"Y-You deceived me!" screamed Tenya pointing at her.

"Sorry...for using you like that." mumbled Mei looking away with a half-smile, although you could almost hear the laughter in her voice.

"I really dislike you!"

* * *

"That was...strange..."

"She managed to beat him while explaining her gadgets to the crowd...she is good." said Mezo through one of his mouths "I wonder if she will have something suitable against Shiozaki."

"Ah! No way! Shiozaki won't lose against a bunch of toys!" said Kosei with a grin, being supported by some of his class while said girl simply looked at the ring with calm eyes "Just like our big sis won't lose against your wannabe Tetsutetsu!"

"Big sis?" repeated Momo looking at them with confused eyes.

"Yes, Kendo is class 1-B's big sis! She's among the strongest in our class and she can easily kick Tetsutetsu's ass!" nodded Setsuna with a grin while said boy felt on his knees with tears streaming down his face "Come on! You're still cool! For real!"

"You think Kirishima will win?" asked Denki looking at his classmates.

"He'll fucking lose." growled Katsuki without looking at him.

All the others sweatdropped ' _Talking about faith in your friends..._ '

* * *

"IT'S TIME TO START WITH BLOCK B! THE FIRST TO MAKE HIS ENTRY IS ONE OF THE MOST RESISTANT STUDENTS OF ALL THE HERO COURSE! FROM CLASS 1-A, EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!" Present Mic waited a moment to allow the fans to applaud the redhead boy, before adding "AND HIS OPPONENT IS CLASS 1-B'S BIS SISTER! CURRENTLY CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE MOST STRONGEST STUDENTS IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT! SHE'S ITSUKA KENDO!"

The girl stopped a few meters from Eijiro with a determined look on her face while her opponent immediately assumed a fighting pose.

"I'm sorry that your opponent must be me." said Itsuka with a little smile "You were unlucky."

"How so?" asked Eijiro with a raised eyebrow as Present Mic shouted "STAAAAAAAART!"

Without wasting a second, she dashed toward him with both arms on her right side and the hands hidden from him "Because I fought against Tetsutetsu at least thirty times in the last days!"

' _Her Quirk allows her to enlarge her hands! I must harden and absorb the blow and then counterattack!_ ' thought the redhead crossing his arms in front the face while using his Quirk on his whole body, thus missing the grin from Itsuka.

"The same mistake!" shouted Itsuka before bringing her arms onward with one hand pointing upward and the other downward, with both palms facing Eijiro "Hadoken!"

"WHAT?!" Eijiro raised his head with incredulous eyes, just in time to see Itsuka's hands becoming enormous upon touching his arms, thus creating a strong shockwave that knocked him backwards, making him bounce off the ground until he fell out of the ring.

"Kirishima is out of the ring! Kendo moves on to the second round!"

While the crowd celebrated the victory of the young martial artist, Eijiro got back on his feet "That wasn't a Hadoken!"

Itsuka merely chuckled "I know, but I'm a fan of that game and the movements of my hands were the same, my Quirk covered the lack of an energy sphere."

"To use such a legendary move even if it isn't complete..." the redhead student looked at her with teary eyes "That's so manly!"

His opponent sweatdropped at his words ' _Wow...he's really like Tetsutetsu..._ '

* * *

"He lost instantly!" whined Denki with a sigh "I was hoping that he could last at least a minute!"

"Ah don't worry, Tetsutetsu too has suffered the same fate against her!" laughed Setsuna with the others nodding except said metal boy "And he continues to suffer it even after seeing the same move dozens of times!"

Predictably, Tetsutetsu fell to the ground with a dark aura around him.

"I have the impression that she is having a lot of fun..." whispered Denki to Hanta who could only nod at his words while the others looked at Setsuna as she tried to cheer Tetsutetsu up.

Without too much effort.

Her time having arrived, Momo took a deep breath and headed for the arena entrance after greeting her classmates but after a few steps, she saw Izuku walking towards her after returning from the bathroom.

"It's your turn?"

"Yes, I'm against Tokoyami but I've already thought of at least a dozen strategies to use against him." said Momo with a serious face.

Izuku arched an eyebrow "Really? Just to fight a shadow...?"

"Uh?" she looked at him with confused eyes "What do you mean?"

"That's simple, you actually thought about several strategies just to fight a shadow." explained Izuku with a chuckle before patting her on the shoulder "If you want an advice, the simplest solutions are also the best." and with that, he went to sit with the others while Momo stood there and thought of his words.

' _A shadow..._ ' she repeated that word before understanding the meaning of Izuku's words. With a smile on her face, she walked toward the arena ' _I was really thinking too much about this match._ '

"IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER MATCH! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS TOURNAMENT, TWO STUDENTS OF THE SAME CLASS WILL FACE EACH OTHER! THE FIRST TO MAKE HER ENTRY IS ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT STUDENTS! FROM CLASS 1-A, MOMO YAOYOROZU!"

After another deep breath, Momo came out into the sunlight, walking with her head held high until she stopped in the middle of the ring, waiting for her opponent.

"ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RING, ONE OF THE DARKEST STUDENTS! FROM THE SAME CLASS, HE'S FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI!"

Without delay, her classmate joined her in the ring and the two stared intently for several seconds until she said "I won't go easy on you."

"I don't expect anything less." nodded Fumikage with Dark Shadow coming out of his back.

"STAAAAAAAAAAART!"

Dark Shadow moved quickly to hit Momo before she could create anything but, due to recent training with their Quirks, she was much faster and, when the shadow entity was close to hitting her, it saw that she had already created a pair of glasses that were connected to ears protection. Something bounced on the ground and both Fumikage and Dark Shadow looked at that object, only to widen their eyes in shock when they saw that it was a grenade, but not just any grenade.

A flash-bang.

The sudden explosion of light and sound blinded much of the stadium and forced Dark Shadow to retreat while Fumikage put the hands over his eyes, screaming in pain. Without hesitation, Momo threw two more grenades as she created a truncheon from one hand. Running to the maximum of her speed, she quickly cleared the distance between them and, with an enviable precision, struck her opponent on the right temple, causing him to stagger, before spinning on herself and hitting him from below, making him fall to the ground back-first.

She put one foot on his left wrist, resting the tip of the truncheon under his beak while in the left hand she created another grenade "Surrender, or I'll create more flash-bangs and I know that you can't stand too strong light."

"Using the weakness of Dark Shadow so brutally...a really dark tactic..." coughed Fumikage before nodding "I give up."

Having heard him, Midnight raised a hand decreeing Momo the winner of the meeting, while said girl helped him get up "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you. Even if I lost I have to admit, that tactic was really good."

She smiled at him "Thanks, even though it wasn't my idea...someone gave me a simple tip."

Fumikage merely shrugged "A victory is a victory, next match you're up against that girl from class 1-B. She fights differently than I do."

"I know, but nothing will stop me from winning!" and after waving at the crowd, they both walked away, leaving the ring available for the following match. As soon as they entered the tunnel, they saw Ochaco running towards them with a wide smile "That was awesome! I didn't know you could even make explosives that fast, Yaoyorozu!"

"I have to thank Aizawa-sensei's training if I can now create things so quickly. If it hadn't been for him I probably would have lost in a few seconds against Tokoyami and his Dark Shadow." explained Momo while pointing at their classmate.

"Still, you were amazing!"

"You're against that student from class 1-B, right?" asked Fumikage looking at her "The one with the drill-like-Quirk."

She nodded "Yes, if that's his Quirk then he'll have to get close to me, but if I can touch him even once, I can win!"

"IT'S TIME FOR OUR SEVENTH MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND! THE FIRST TO ENTER THE RING IS MY PERSONAL PICK! FROM CLASS 1-A, OCHACO URARAKA!"

"That's me! I'll see you later!" Ochaco waved at them before walking outside, receiving many applauses and shouts of encouragement from the crowd, especially thanks to her victory in the previous event.

"NOW, HER OPPONENT! HIS DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS! FROM CLASS 1-B, SEN KAIBARA!"

Sen stopped a few steps away from her, keeping a calm expression on his face, however, when Present Mic shouted the beginning of the meeting, he didn't hesitate a moment before running toward her with his right hand ready to strike.

' _Here he comes! Need to to dodge to the right and then touch him!_ '

Sen tried to hit her with a wide right hook but that punch was too telegraphed and even Ochaco managed to avoid his attack easily by lowering herself at the right moment, however she was surprised when she felt his left fist lean against her right side. Not being a real attack, Sen hadn't needed to put too much force behind it and had simply moved his arm when she had dodged his right fist.

Before Ochaco could react and grab him, she felt his hand push deeper into her side.

The next instant, an unimaginable pain pervaded her body making her open her mouth in shock but no sound came out, letting a voiceless scream be visible on her aching face. Only a few drops of blood fell to the ground, but it seemed to her that Sen had just ripped off a whole piece of flesh from her body.

Taking advantage of her disorientation, Sen spun around before hitting her with a drill-kick in the chest, hurling her several meters away. Ochaco coughed blood mixed with saliva and tried to get up but Sen was immediately on her and started hitting her with a series of punches, making her back away more and more.

On the sidelines, Midnight watched the fight with a hand on her chin ' _That first punch was just a fake, his real purpose was to be able to hit her with the second...if I saw correctly it is a variant of the Fist Clench used by some boxers. Instead of immediately using his Quirk, Kaibara made sure he was in contact with Uraraka first, so as to maximize the damage...and from that young girl's expression, he did a lot of harm._ '

Back in the ring, Ochaco tried again to touch her opponent using both hands, but Sen avoided her without any effort, hitting her back in the chest. Gritting her teeth, the girl charged with her head down, aiming at his legs, but Sen jumped up before hitting her in the back with a kick.

"Sorry, but in this kind of fights I'm one of the best in my class." said Sen as she tried again to touch him before delivering a drill-uppercut to her chin, followed by a knee to the chest. Ochaco leaned forward coughing more with the hands on her aching chest, barely able to stand. Taking his right arm back, Sen prepared his fist which was already spinning like a drill "Time to end this!"

He aimed to her head to knock her unconscious but, much to Sen's surprise, with a fluid movement, Ochaco managed to take off her shirt and throw it on his fist, wrapping it in the fabric.

' _I blocked him! Now I can win!_ ' and despite the pain she was feeling, Ochaco lunged forward with outstretched arms, trying to touch him at least once. However, with her attention focused on trying to use her Quirk on him, Ochaco couldn't see Sen's right fist, still wrapped in her shirt, before he struck her on the left temple with enough force to make her fall to the ground.

That blow, combined with the impact on the concrete of the ring, was the decisive move to make her lose consciousness, thus guaranteeing victory to her opponent.

Midnight looked at Ochaco for a moment before nodding "Uraraka is unable to continue! Kaibara moves on to the second round!"

The crowd applauded the boy's victory and his opponent's willpower, though some among them seemed more inclined to yell at him that he could go lighter with her. Ignoring those people, Sen left the ring while two robots carried Ochaco away on a stretcher, heading for the infirmary.

* * *

"Damn...she almost got him!" said Kyoka, feeling sorry for her classmate.

"That Kaibara is good, very good in melee combat..." added Mashirao with a frown "Unfortunately from what I've seen, Uraraka doesn't seem very accustomed to it."

"It's a pity...just one touch would have been enough. Ribbit."

"This only serves to prove that our class is not inferior to yours!" said Neito with a laugh, conveniently ignoring the fact that, up until that point, he was the only member of class 1-B to have lost.

"Well...that won't matter now!" said Eijiro raising a fist.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Tetsutetsu with a raised eyebrow who was joined by the other when he saw half of the other class pointing at the huge screen in the stadium.

Denki merely grinned "Because you're classmate is against _him_!"

* * *

"FOR THE LAST MATCHUP OF THE FIRST ROUND! A CELEBRITY SINCE HIS MIDDLE SCHOOL DAYS, WITH A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE! FROM CLASS 1-A, KATSUKI BAKUGO!"

Katsuki made his entrance into the ring with his usual face, although it almost seemed that he was more pissed off than usual, and it didn't go unnoticed by his adversary, who could only swallow with a worried face while Present Mic announced his entry.

"VERSUS...! THE ONE WHO ALWAYS AIMS TO THE TOP AND WILL DO EVERYTHING TO SUCCEED! FROM CLASS 1-B, KOSEI TSUBURABA!"

Katsuki stared at his opponent without blinking, slowly opening and closing his right hand with the other hidden in his pants pocket, as Kosei took deep breaths, keeping an eye on the other student. When Present Mic announced the start of the fight, Katsuki aimed behind him and created a powerful explosion to launch himself towards Kosei, who blew forward, creating a sort of transparent shield.

Without hesitating, Katsuki hit that shield with his right fist but all he got were only cracks in the barrier created by Kosei, who grinned ' _Until a few days ago such a punch would have destroyed my Solid Air, but with Vlad-sensei's training it's much more resistant!_ ' taking another deep breath, he made a short burst of speed to get around his own barrier and blew toward Katsuki.

The air coming out of his mouth took the form of a punch directed at Katsuki's face, but the blond simply tilted his head to the side avoiding the attack, before raising his right hand, now dangerously close to Kosei's face.

' _Oh shi-!_ '

BOOOM!

Many spectators who sat in the stands were startled because of the explosion while others could only watch with pity the body of Kosei as it bounced several times in the ring, before stopping a few meters from Cementoss, who stared at the student for a few seconds before shifting his eyes on Midnight and shake his head.

"Tsuburaba is unable to continue! Bakugo moves on to the second round!"

"Tsk, what a fucking joke..." growled Katsuki walking away "I ended up fighting the weakest of these extras..."

Only then did many realize that, all the time, Katsuki had never used his left hand.

* * *

' _Apparently he hasn't lost his touch._ ' thought Izuku before standing up and head to one of the rooms near the entrance to get ready for his second match. Ever since he had talked to All Might, Izuku had somehow tried to 'summon' the voice he had heard during his fight with Hitoshi, yet his attempts hadn't yielded any results.

He walked calmly, knowing that there would be a few minutes of pause before the start of the second round of the matches, but when he was alone in a corridor, his sixth sense warned him of someone around the corner and, when he saw who it was, Izuku wasn't surprised to see Endeavor.

"There you are." said the flaming hero staring at him with a frown.

"Endeavor...why are you here?"

"I know very well what you are capable of, Flaming Centaur. I have been tempted several times to hunt you down to measure my flames against yours." said Endeavor crossing his arms over the chest.

' _Is he trying to flatter me somehow?_ ' thought Izuku with a raised eyebrow.

Endeavor didn't seem to notice the change "However, my son has the duty of surpass All Might. His match against you will prove a valuable test." he pointed at Izuku with cold eyes "So give it your all. Put up a good fight against him."

Now that was what Izuku really hated about this man. He could perceive different sins inside him but, surprisingly, not so many as to cause a violent reaction. Ignoring Endeavor's last words as he left, Izuku took a deep breath as he approached the entrance to the arena while the clamor of the crowd could be heard in the air.

' _A valuable test huh?_ ' Izuku stood there for a moment with a frown ' _Oh it will certainly be a test, but not the kind of test you expect, Endeavor._ '

After a few minutes, a small robot beckoned him out and Izuku nodded, going out into the arena at the same time as Shoto, while Present Mic announced their entry "BOTH OF THESE COMPETITORS HAVE WON TOP MARKS IN THIS FESTIVAL SO FAR! BUT THERE'S ONLY ROOM FOR ONE TRUE VICTOR! MIDORIYA VERSUS TODOROKI!"

"You ready?" asked Shoto glaring at Izuku who merely rolled his shoulders.

"Definitely more ready than you."

"STAAAAAAAAAAART!"

Present Mic's scream was not even finished that Shoto created a violent ice wave aiming at Izuku, who simply jumped to the side, avoiding all the spikes. Endeavor's son tried again to hit him with that tactic, but Izuku jumped again, landing on the ice created by the previous attack and was pleased to see Shoto's annoyed look.

' _Or he is annoyed that I continue to dodge or it could be that he cannot create ice on existing ice..._ ' wondered Izuku but his second hypothesis was practically wiped out by Shoto when he created more ice, with much more power, destroying all the ice he had created before. Izuku avoided that attack again, yet his left arm remained stuck in the ice, but it lasted only a few moments because he managed to melt it without even looking at it.

Shoto narrowed his eyes "Are you just planning to dodge all the time?"

"Are you just going to use _your mother's_ Quirk?" replied Izuku stressing out those two words "If your answer is yes, then please surrender. You can't beat me with her ice."

"You'll regret those words." hissed Shoto before firing another wave of ice but Izuku avoided with ease before running toward him. Seeing this, the son of Endeavor waited until the last second before creating a wall of ice in front of him.

' _Come to thing...I never tried to fight without using my powers. I wonder what my current limits are._ ' thought Izuku before punching the wall, barely able to crack it ' _Mh...I can say I am physically strong, but his ice is very hard. I guess I'll have to get around it._ ' a grin crossed his face ' _Or I could just melt it._ '

And that was exactly what he did, but as soon as the ice began to melt, a new wave completely destroyed it, even managing to hit Izuku who was thrown several meters away. Rising immediately to his feet, Izuku rubbed his neck, watching his opponent ' _Right...it's not just his Quirk that is strong. If he had been against someone else, he would have already won. He has good judgment, excellent control over his ice and also excellent mobility...most likely he is already stronger than several pro-heroes._ ' he sighed ' _Even though I know I'm stronger than him, right now he could beat me if I don't pay attention and I won't transform until he decides to use his flames._ '

Without waiting any longer, he ran back to Shoto who created another wall of ice, but this time Izuku stuck his fingers into the cold surface after partially melting it and used it to push himself upward, just when his opponent went for same tactic, destroying the wall with more ice. Rotating in midair, Izuku managed to hit Shoto with a punch in the head, making him stagger, but Endeavor's son created more ice to defend himself and attack Izuku at the same time.

Thinking quickly, Izuku brought both hands to the left and used the little control he had on his flames in that form to create two small explosions of fire that helped him avoid the attack. Rolling to the ground, he then turned to try to hit Shoto again but was forced to throw himself aside to avoid another wave of ice, but he noticed that the attack was much slower than the previous ones.

' _So he's already reaching the limit huh..._ ' Izuku looked at Shoto and noticed some frost stains on his right arm and leg ' _He won't last much longer like this._ '

Deciding to keep him using the ice as much as possible, Izuku started to run around his opponent trying to find a breach in his defenses, occasionally melting some spikes of ice and avoiding Shoto's attacks, which were now much slower.

"Can't you this? You're weak now, _son of Endeavor_." said Izuku looking at Shoto who narrowed his eyes "But since you won't use _your father's_ Quirk, then go on and try to win with _your mother's_ ice!"

"You're annoying." growled Shoto before releasing more ice and this Izuku didn't move, however the ice merely covered him up to the chest but Izuku was already melting it without any difficulty.

"And you're an idiot." Izuku told him with a frown before running toward him. The son of Endeavor created another wall of ice with several spikes on it, but Izuku didn't care. This time he put more strength into his fist and his melting ability, managing to break through that wall and grab Shoto's shirt, before pulling him against his own wall, destroying it with ease, and throw him on the ground.

"What you're using now is _not_ your mother's Quirk." hissed Izuku before punching him again "The Quirks are inherited from generation to generation and often undergo further mutations. Your Quirk is not just ice as it is not just fire! It's something different!" he kicked him in the midsection, making Shoto roll on the ground while coughing saliva.

"Why do you even care about my Quirk?!" yelled Shoto creating more ice, with his right arm almost completely covered in frost.

Izuku melted it without even trying and grabbed Shoto by the shirt both hands "I don't care about you Quirk! I'm just pissed that someone like you, who spits on the hard work of others, has been admitted to this school!" he threw Shoto on the ground before trying to stomp his chest, but Shoto rolled away, creating several ice spikes.

When he tried to get up however, he noticed that even his leg was now almost completely covered with frost.

"Why are you even here?" growled Izuku punching him in the face before Shoto could defend himself "Why the Hell did you want to enroll in this school?!"

' _You want to be a hero, right?_ '

Shoto widened his eyes in shock as those words he thought he had forgotten echoed in his mind.

"Your power is not a copy of Endeavor's Quirk!" Izuku punched Shoto in the gut before headbutting him. He didn't even know why he was doing all this, for someone as stupid as Shoto. However, the thought that that boy was only using half his power to 'get revenge' on his father, pissed him off more than it should. It was so fucking stupid!

' _That's fine. You're not bound by his blood._ '

Shoto staggered back before he was hit by another punch that knocked him to the ground.

"That's you own power! Your own Quirk!"

' _It's okay for you to become..._ '

Slowly, Shoto stood up with steam coming out from the left side of his body.

' _...who you want to be._ '

And then the steam turned to flames.

A massive column of flames surprised the entire stadium as the air suddenly became hotter. Even Izuku was surprised by the sheer power of that fire, although his surprise soon turned to excitement.

In the midst of that sea of flames came the voice of Shoto "I am here..." the flames dissipated slightly, allowing Izuku to see his opponent with the left side pervaded by the fire while the right one was now free of frost "...because I wanna be a hero too!"

A smile formed on Shoto's face, who had tears at the edge of his eyes, but Izuku didn't pay any attention to that, feeling happy to be able to see all the power of his opponent. In the bewildered silence of the stadium, a voice thundered in the air "SHOOOOOOOTOOOOOOOO!"

Everyone, except Izuku and Shoto, turned to Endeavor who was coming down a few steps with a wide grin on his face "So you've finally accepted it! Excellent! With my blood pumping through your veins, you will surpass me...and you'll fulfill my ambitions!"

"A SUDDEN PEP TALK FROM MR ENDEAVOR...?" wondered aloud Present Mic looking at the pro-hero "WHAT A DOTING PARENT!"

However, the two adversaries in the center of the ring ignored all this, continuing to stare at each other until a grin appeared on Izuku's face "So these are your flames huh? I can almost feel the heat."

"What are you grinning at...?" asked Shoto catching his attention "If you don't decide to use your power...then it's not my problem what happens to you now!" and to emphasize his words, he slammed his right foot to the ground, creating several spikes of ice around him as his flames seemed to grow in intensity.

"Eh maybe you're right." Izuku's grin widened as new flames began to consume his body "If so, show me your Quirk, son of-no..." the flames reached his face, burning his flesh " **Show me your true power, Shoto Todoroki!** "

As the two students accumulated more and more power, with the clear intention of colliding again, Cementoss slammed his hands hard against the concrete in front of him "Midnight! If these two were to clash now...!"

"We may no longer have an arena at the end!" concluded the woman ripping off part of her costume to let her Quirk in the air but, at that precise moment, Shoto created a mountain of ice with so much power to destroy the ring as the ice progressed.

Izuku noticed this detail and jumped with all his strength to reach his opponent ' _ **So you want to end the fight with this attack?! Fine by me! Come at me with everything you've got!**_ '

Shoto moved his left arm in a wide arc, instantly melting all the ice around him and then slowly raising it, his palm now white because of the intensity of his flames.

"Midoriya..."

At the same time, Izuku's right arm was covered by his flames that began to swirl around it.

" **HELL...!** "

As the two opponents got closer and closer, the temperature around them soared, and finally they both spread their arms forward.

"Thank you."

" **SMASH!** "

At the last possible second, before the two could clash directly, a thick concrete wall rose from the ground. Their attacks, however, were so powerful that they instantly disintegrated it and generated a violent explosion that shook the entire stadium, causing many of the spectators to fall to the ground, as well as Midnight, who was thrown against a wall. The incessant shock wave died after a few seconds, leaving room for a huge column of smoke and steam that was visible even from outside the stadium, as could be confirmed by the heroes called upon to implement the safety measures.

A surreal silence fell over the stadium as everyone stared in shock at the enormous cloud of smoke caused by the explosion, while many of them wondered how two students could control so much power.

"WHAT THE-?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR CLASS?!" said Present Mic, currently on the ground.

At his side, Shota seemed unperturbed by what had happened but it was difficult to say, mostly because of his completely bandaged face "The air that had been cooled thoroughly was suddenly heated up and expanded."

"THAT'S WHAT CREATED THIS EXPLOSION?!" Present Mic sat back down looking in the arena "JUST HOW HOT WAS THAT?! JEEZ I CAN'T SEE A THING! OI MIDNIGHT! WHO WON THE MATCH?!"

Midnight rose slowly, rubbing her head before looking to the right, and as the smoke dissipated she saw a figure leaning against the arena wall. After a few moments, she recognized Shoto's red and white hair.

"T-Todoroki is out of the ring!" she then looked at her left and was shocked to see Izuku, still in his skeletal form, lying on the ground, where the ring should have been but nevertheless Shoto had completely destroyed that part. She shifted her gaze toward Cementoss who simply shock his head.

With a sigh, she raised both hands "Both Todoroki and Midoriya are out of the ring! This match is a draw!"

The roar of the crowd couldn't have been more deafening.

* * *

"Well that was really something else." said Nezu with a smile, while sitting with the other teachers who nodded at his words "It's been a while since we had a draw like this. If I'm not mistaken...it was when you were a student here, All Might. You completely destroyed the ring with a punch but it deprived you of a safe landing so you fell on the ground where the ring should have been."

The blond hero blushed a bit "I was still young...and I didn't even know about the rule that the ring has to be there, otherwise it is counted as out-of-bounds..."

Nezu chuckled at him "Well the rules were all written, you just had to read them. You won that tournament only because in case of a draw the winner was decided with a match of arm wrestling and it is precisely for that reason that we have changed the rule and now, in the event of a draw, neither of them progresses in the tournament."

"I keep thinking that it is not wise as a rule. We could find another way to declare a winner." said Snipe looking at the principal "It would be a waste not to allow one of the two not to advance."

"It could also be true, but these guys will one day be heroes and may find themselves in a situation where a draw equates to a defeat." replied Nezu now with a more calm look "I'm sure Midoriya could still fight, but a good hero must think ahead of his actions, so as to guarantee a complete victory. In this case, a solid ground on which to land, even if I forgive him as he was in mid-air and the explosion was quite strong."

The other teachers nodded as Shoto was taken away by some robots, as he apparently lost consciousness, while Izuku simply stood up and returned to his human form before leaving the arena, with Cementoss already recreating the ring.

* * *

"It could have been better, but I would say that it wasn't a bad fight." said Izuku while cracking his neck. Present Mic had explained to the public that neither he nor Shoto would go on to the next round and there was no lack of protests from the spectators, however Izuku was not disappointed by the result, nor was he angry about the failure to win. That was fine with him.

His moment of peace was abruptly interrupted when, turning a corner, he found himself facing Ibara's cold eyes, and the girl didn't seem at all happy, which was no longer a novelty for him.

"I saw that you lost."

"Well it means your eyes work well...and I didn't lose, it was a draw." replied Izuku with an annoyed voice. He wanted to go and relax for a few minutes, but this girl was doing everything to annoy him.

"That makes me sad..."

' _Well...that's unexpected..._ ' thought the biker with a raised eyebrow.

"Because now I can't be the one to defeat you and destroy your sins." hissed Ibara with a glare and her hair moving slightly behind her.

Izuku was on the verge of answering her in a not very polite way when a gloved hand came to rest on Ibara's shoulder "Now now Ibara, this isn't the time to think about these. It's a school tournament, you should think about having fun and improving thanks to these matches."

She looked at him with worried eyes "But-!"

"No 'buts', remember that our Lord would never accept this kind of behavior." said the man, who, according to Izuku, had to be American since he looked like a cowboy. Said man then looked at Izuku with a smile "Forgive her words, sometimes she happens to behave this way, but she does it in good faith."

Izuku stare at him for a moment before shrugging "It's fine. I guess that, knowing who I am, she doesn't feel very comfortable near me."

"You can say that." nodded the man before moving the arm for a handshake "I saw your match against that Todoroki boy. I must say that you two are truly exceptional."

Izuku was slightly puzzled by his calm behavior but still shook his hand "Thank you for your words...uh..."

"Oh right, I have not introduced myself." the man chuckled for a moment "I'm Ibara's legal guardian..."

Izuku's heart skipped a beat when he heard his next words, but the boy couldn't say why.

"...but you can call me Adam."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 11: I AM...**

* * *

 **Omake: Different Mounts!**

 **Tenya Iida**

"Join forces?"

Izuku nodded "I've already Yaoyorozu with me and you could be a good vehicle."

"...what...?"

"Just trust me." grinned Izuku before transforming " **Now, let's ride!** "

On the sidelines, Momo could only look with pity at Tenya "You have my sincerest condolences..."

A shiver ran down Tenya's back "I'm scared..."

" **Too late!** "

A few minutes later, Present Mic announced the start of the event but the whole stadium was shocked to see...whatever that was...

Momo, with the band around her head, was sitting on Izuku's shoulders which was in turn sitting on the shoulders of the one who, according to logic, should have been Tenya but the latter was different...

" **Let's break this rules!** " shouted a flaming Tenya with most of his body now made of black metal with his mufflers that now resembled those of a car out of Fast&Furious. His hair was now completely ruffled and burning, while his eyes were two empty orbits full of fire.

"Why did it turn this way?!" screamed Momo trying to not fall on the ground.

" **Dunno! But it's fun!** "

"No it's not!"

* * *

 **Pony Tsunotori**

"A team with you?" asked the blond student tilting her head.

"Yes, we can also speak both English and therefore we can understand each other better." nodded Izuku before adding "Besides, wouldn't you be interested in getting back at all of the bad things that Monoma made you say?"

She looked at him for a moment "I'm in!"

"Perfect! Now..." he grinned " **Let's ride!** "

"That sounds so bad out of contest..." noted Momo with a sigh.

A few minutes later, Present Mic announced the start of the event but the whole stadium was shocked to see...a somehow different pony-girl.

" **Monoma!"**

Said boy looked behind him just to see a bigger Pony covered in flames, long horns similar to those of a dragon and Izuku and Momo on her back "Tsunotori?!"

" **Come here! My horns want to thank you for all the help you gave me, including the book for Japanese insults!** "

"Monoma!"

"It wasn't mine Kendo, I swear!"

" **Come here, you fucking bastard!** "

On the other side of the arena, Ibara looked at her classmate with cold eyes "Language!"

" **FUCK YOU!** "

"Oh God! She's the twin of Bakugo!"

"FUCK YOU PIKACHU!"

"See?!"

* * *

 **Mezo Shoji**

"A team with you?"

"Yes." Izuku looked at him "I mean, with my power you'll probably change, but I can't say how."

Mezo merely shrugged "I'm okay with it, at least I can win if I'm in your team."

"Good!" Izuku and Momo walked toward him " **Let's ride!** "

A few minutes later, Present Mic announced the start of the event but the whole stadium noticed that a team was absent and, when Present Mic wondered the same thing, Izuku's voice was heard from the stadium speakers.

" **Let no joyful voice be heard!** "

The whole stadium shook for a few moments.

" **Let no man look up at the sky with hope!** "

Long cracks formed in the ground as the temperature increased several degrees.

" **And let this day be cursed by we who ready to wake...!** "

A giant flaming hand appeared from behind the stadium, going to grasp its edge.

" **THE KRAKEN!** "

A giant-flaming-kraken Shoji rose in a cloud of smoke and flames with a mighty roar and Izuku and Momo on his head.

Amid the shock and astonishment of the crowd, a female voice thundered "Are you by chance a villain? I won't let you win!" and so, on the other side of the stadium, Mt Lady appeared, ready to fight.

While the two titans began to struggle, for completely invalid reasons, Mineta and Kaminari watched the fight until the smaller of the two said "A giant woman against a giant octopus...and we're in Japan."

"Your point...?"

"I read enough hentai to know where this is going...and I like it!"

The slap from Asui's tongue could not have been more deserved.

 **END OMAKE**

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the tenth chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!**

 **It's been a long time since the last chapter and I'm very sorry, but unfortunately things have happened and between being there has been a lack of inspiration for this story but now that my pc is back, I decided to give it a go and finish at least this chapter! I hope however that you will continue to follow this story and I will try to bring other chapters before the end of the summer, you deserve it.**

 **Also, I hope the last part of this chapter helped to clarify (very subtly) why Ibara can hurt Izuku even when he is transformed. And if you have not guessed the reason, you will simply need to continue to follow this story!**

 **In the next chapter there will be the second (and last part) of the tournament plus the aftermath!**

 **See you around!**


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